Healthcare Robotics

Asensus Surgical changed the surgical industry with its intra-operative Augmented Intelligence technology that’s approved for use in operating rooms around the world. Recognized as a leader in digital technology, Asensus is committed to making surgery more accessible and predictable with consistently superior outcomes. Based upon the foundations of digital laparoscopy and the Senhance Surgical System, the company is developing the LUNA Surgical System, a next-generation robotic and instrument system as a foundation of its digital surgery solution.

This session will explore the development and introduction of cutting-edge technologies, sensing modalities, and real-time data collection capabilities of the LUNA Surgical Platform and the practical implementation of those capabilities. By harnessing these innovative technologies and investing in a multi-year development effort to cohesively integrate them, Asensus is poised to deliver on the promise of Performance Guided Surgery.

MassRobotics, FESTO, Mitsubishi Electric Automation, MITRE, Novanta and other key players in the healthcare and robotics space are hosting the 3rd annual Healthcare Robotics Startup Catalyst Program. The goal is to advance healthcare robotics companies by providing the connections, guidance and resources they need to grow and succeed.

During this session, attendees will hear pitches from the following seight healthcare robotics startups currently in the catalyst program: Able Innovations, AiM Medical Robotics, Cobionix, Dopl Technologies, Healthic, Limber Technologies, REEV and RIF Robotics . Each of these startups embodies the innovative spirit and potential to transform the healthcare industry with their unique robotic solutions.

The technology to do remote surgery is here today. We have a chance to drive the discussion to create conditions where true remote surgery can help a wide range of patients.

The Robot Operating System (ROS) has changed how engineers entering our workforce learn robotics. These engineers had a shared toolbox to bootstrap their robot projects or research. They could start working on a robot and immediately solve real-world problems. ROS 2 addressed architectural problems that made it difficult to turn an R&D robot into a viable product. ROS 2 can scale up or scale down to meet the needs of the specific robot product.

Safety is always a concern with robotics. In the past, robots were placed in work cells to operate safely away from humans. Industries with safety and risk concerns have created versions of ROS that allow systems to be more easily certified safe for use. Some examples are Apex.OS (automotive self-driving car safety standard 26262) and Space ROS (aerospace safety standards DO-178C and NPR7150.2D).

ROS is not currently the de facto standard for surgical robotics and robotics in medical devices, but maybe it should be. In this presentation, we will explore the potential benefits from a version of ROS that is tailored to address the standards needed for the medical device industry, such as IEC 62304 and ISO 60601.This presentation will identify the possible features a medical ROS would support and compare potential benefits to actual benefits reported by users of Apex.OS and Space ROS. We will examine all possible paths that we as an industry can take to achieve a medical certifiable ROS, ensuring its success and sustainability to maximize industry-wide advantages.

Image-guided surgery is a paradigm wherein instruments or therapies are precisely placed at specific locations within the body based on medical imaging, and often localized by intraoperative tracking systems. Conventionally, an MRI of a patient guides a thorough pre-operative planning effort, and at the time of surgery that plan is registered to the patient. However, the inherent mobility of soft tissue targets during surgery poses a significant challenge, rendering intra-operative imaging ‘stale’ and potentially unknowingly compromising the alignment of instruments with respect to the actual anatomical locations.

This presentation addresses this critical issue by exploring the potential of intra-operative MRI to actively track soft tissue targets and instruments in real-time. The incorporation of traditional robotic systems into the MRI environment has historically been challenging, limiting the feasibility of this approach. The talk will delve into innovative solutions devised to ensure precision motion safely within the MRI scanner without compromising image quality. By overcoming these challenges, a new era of “closed loop medicine” emerges, wherein instrumentation, anatomical targets, and other structures are dynamically tracked, allowing for interactive optimization of motion planning and instrument delivery.

Compelling case studies will be presented, including an MRI-compatible cooperative surgical robot designed for image-guided prostate biopsy that autonomously steers the needle tip based on live imaging, accommodating unmodeled motion and enhancing the accuracy of the procedure. Additionally, the talk will showcase an MRI-compatible stereotactic neurosurgery robot capable of accounting for brain shift during surgery and facilitating precise delivery of neurostimulation leads, drug delivery catheters, and needle-based ablation instruments for conformal brain tumor ablation, leveraging real-time MR thermometry.

Touch is a key enabling modality in many surgical procedures. Recreating, amplifying, and augmenting the surgeon’s sense of touch in surgical robotics relies on innovations in compact, high reliability, scalable force-torque sensing technologies.

This session will give an overview of the roles of force and torque sensing in surgical robotics; including tip of instrument sensing, trocar remote center of motion/tissue contact, surgeon collaboration/leading/tool insertion, and surgeon-console interfaces.

We’ll dive in core specifications and the state-of-the-art of what’s possible with force-torque sensing technologies, along with best practices for implementing force-torque capabilities into your surgical robot, including:
– Thermal compensation and considerations under surgical drapes
– Grounding & shielding inside ultra compact robotic joints
– Engineering cable assemblies for high-flex, multidimensional, tight bend applications