A preliminary trial to evaluate the performance of a voice-operated industrial robot and a human assistant in several simulated and real endoscopic operations

摘要

We report our learning experience in simulated and real surgical tasks with a new voice-controlled robotic endoscope manipulator: an industrial robot with the tool- holder arm modified to support the optic and camera. The manipulator control-card programs have been rewritten to meet the needs of endoscopic surgeons. For this preliminary work, systems engineers with an additional monitor moni- tored, recorded, and compared the percentage effectiveness and precision of the responses of the robotic and human assistant to successive oral commands during the several different experimental surgical tasks. Simultaneously, to help develop this voice-commanded system for future, more precise robotic manipulation of surgical instruments, they measured the cartesian and spherical coordinates of succes- sive positions of the optic. In unexpectedly difficult experi- mental conditions, the tireless robot proved more precise and effective than the demonstrably fatigable human: the steadier screen images of the robotic manipulations helped the surgeon tie knots in 7-0 sutures.