Operation and Human Clinical Trials of RoboLens: an Assistant Robot for Laparoscopic Surgery

Purpose- In this report, technical operation of “RoboLens” as an assistant robot for laparoscopic surgery has been illustrated. Methods- First, the RoboLens® mechanical mechanism and configuration of its linkage, joints and actuators are illustrated. Then, the software and user interfaces of the robot are introduced. Next, its operation from start to end of a surgery has been evaluated. Also, a technical test for its trajectory tracking in a spherical coordinate has been performed using a standard optical tracking system. Finally, an overall report from more than 1000 human clinical trials in 2 hospitals is investigated. Results- The robot was prepared for the operation in less than 30 Sec and started all the commanded movements including up, down, right, left, zoom-in or zoom-out of the screen in real time manner with less than 50 ms delay. Also, the trajectory tracking of the robot end effector on a spherical surface showed less than 1 mm error in the worst case. Conclusion- Results of the evaluation of the RoboLens indicated that it has the appropriate maneuvering capability as a robotic assistant for laparoscopic surgery in real human clinical trials