Augmented therapeutic tutoring in diligent image-assisted robotic interventions

Abstract

This paper concerns the aptitudes of medical staff to explore new therapies and training exercises for image-assisted robotic diligent interventions. This exploration can be carried out using physical, digital, or both copies of patients. Such physical and digital phantoms should approximate real living tissues through realistic biological properties. Such a realistic assessment could be achieved through strategies to reduce physical and numerical uncertainties. The concept of physical-virtual matched pairs is used in image-assisted robotic interventions to enable such reduction. The present commentary aimed to analyze and illustrate possibilities for increasing the capabilities of medical personnel to explore new therapies and training exercises for image-assisted robotic diligent interventions. In this context, the manuscript focused on the use of the physical-virtual digital twin (DT) concept to monitor image-assisted robotic interventions, thereby reducing the complexity and uncertainties involved in such a procedure. Extensions involve robotic operations assisted by human-in-the-loop DT, artificial intelligence (AI), and augmented reality (AR). The various topics covered in this commentary are supported by a review of the literature.