Robot-Assisted Prostate Surgery
FIGURE 6. Arthroscopic knee surgery.
FIGURE 5. Ankle arthroscopy instruments.
tissue. Performance baselines are derived from the data
collected from experienced surgeons.” This type of trainer
allows surgeons to practice and improve without taking up
valuable and expensive time on the actual machine.
How are Various Surgeries
Per formed?
To understand robot-assisted surgery, you must sit back
and imagine how surgeons perform any type of surgery on
a human. In typical open procedures, the area to be
operated on is fairly wide open and exposed, with clamps
to hold tissue in place and to make it easier to apply
suction to remove fluid buildup. A large overhead lamp
illuminates the area. The surgeon can then use scalpels,
clamps, forceps, hemostats, and other instruments that can
easily be manually manipulated in whatever way necessary.
The surgeon is usually standing up and looking down on
the surgery site.
The Case for
Robot-Assisted
Surgery
Now, envision an
operating site deep with the
body — a location such as
FIGURE 7. Being wheeled
into the operating room on
a gurney.
76 SERVO 04.2012
