Application of control modes of a master manipulator for a robotic system to assist with single port endoscopic surgery

Recently, increased attention has been focused on single port endoscopic surgery (SPS). We have developed a robotic system for SPS with two surgical manipulators: an endoscopic manipulator and a positioning manipulator that moves the endoscope. The robot can manipulate both the position and orientation of the endoscope to achieve the desirable endoscopic field of view. Two methods can be used to operate the endoscopic view: “control corresponding to position” mode and “control corresponding to velocity” mode. Although both are widely used for moving the visual field, the operability of each method has not been examined quantitatively. Thus, we compare the operability of the two methods for adjusting the endoscopic view, and present the results and suitable applications of each method. The results of the quantitative evaluation experiments show that the “control corresponding to position” mode is suitable for short-distance or precise adjustment of the endoscope, whereas the “control corresponding to velocity” mode is better suited to long-distance movement.