The proposed project explores a potential new approach to minimally invasive abdominal surgery (laparoscopy) that involves inserting miniature robotic assistants entirely into the abdominal cavity of the patient. Such in vivo robots will provide vision and task assistance without the mobility and positioning constraints associated with current laparoscopic tools and techniques. Patients who undergo laparoscopic surgery experience less pain, shorter hospital stays, and a more rapid return to the normal activities of daily life compared to those who undergo conventional surgery. These health care benefits, however, are generally restricted to patients undergoing less complex procedures. The principal reason for the limited application of laparoscopy to more complex procedures is that the surgeon must view and manipulate tissue with long, rigid instruments inserted through small incisions. This constraint imposes severe perception and dexterity limitations that degrade surgical task performance. The investigative team is pursing a program of research with the long-term goal of developing a family of mini robots that can be placed entirely within the abdominal cavity through a single standard laparoscopic access port.
The specific aim of this proposal is to demonstrate the feasibility of using robotic in vivo surgical assistants by developing a mobile wireless imaging and biopsy system. Major components of this robot will be based on prototypes developed during this team's preliminary work. A detailed design of a candidate system will be created that includes a biopsy tool mechanism, a variable focus camera, and a wireless telemetry system. The performance of the candidate system will be quantified in a series of ex vivo image quality, mobility, and biopsy tool experiments. These results will be used to refine the design of the final system. The robot's in vivo effectiveness will be demonstrated by performing a single port porcine liver biopsy. The relevance of this project to public health is that the use of in vivo robots as surgical assistants has the potential to transform laparoscopic surgery by enhancing the capabilities of a surgeon. By improving the ability of a surgeon to visualize the entire operative field, manipulate multiple tools without dexterity constraints, and reducing the number of incisions required for surgical intervention, laparoscopic techniques will be more widely and safely utilized. This will help address the goals laid out in Healthy People 2010 by improving and increasing access to high-quality laparoscopic surgical care. ? ? ?
| Hawks, Jeff A; Kunowski, Jacob; Platt, Stephen R (2012) In vivo demonstration of surgical task assistance using miniature robots. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 59:2866-73 |
| Platt, Stephen R; Hawks, Jeff A; Rentschler, Mark E (2009) Vision and task assistance using modular wireless in vivo surgical robots. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 56:1700-10 |
