Biomedical subjects

Allison M Okamura

Publications and source records attributed to Allison M Okamura.

10 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Automatic detection and segmentation of robot-assisted surgical motions.

Robotic surgical systems such as Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci system provide a rich source of motion and video data from surgical procedures. In principle, this data can be used to evaluate surgical skill, provide surgical training feedback, or document essential aspects of a procedure. If processed online, the data can be used to provide context-specific information or motion enhancements to the surgeon. However, in every case, the key step is to relate recorded motion data to a model of the procedure being performed. This paper examines our progress at developing techniques for "parsing" raw motion data from a surgical task into a labelled sequence of surgical gestures. Our current techniques have achieved >90% fully automated recognition rates on 15 datasets.

Artificial Intelligence↗

PubMed2005

A velocity-dependent model for needle insertion in soft tissue.

Models that predict the soft tissue deformation caused by needle insertion could improve the accuracy of procedures such as brachytherapy and needle biopsy. Prior work on needle insertion modeling has focused on static deformation; the experiments presented here show that dynamic effects such as relaxation are important. An experimental setup is described for recording and measuring the deformation that occurs with needle insertion into a soft tissue phantom. Analysis of the collected data demonstrates the time- and velocity-dependent nature of the deformation. Deformation during insertion is shown to be well represented using a velocity-dependent force function with a linear elastic finite element model. The model's accuracy is limited to the period during needle motion, indicating that a viscoelastic tissue model may be required to capture tissue relaxation after the needle stops.

Brachytherapy↗

PubMed2005

Effect of sensory substitution on suture-manipulation forces for robotic surgical systems.

OBJECTIVES: Direct haptic (force or tactile) feedback is not yet available in commercial robotic surgical systems. Previous work by our group and others suggests that haptic feedback might significantly enhance the execution of surgical tasks requiring fine suture manipulation, specifically those encountered in cardiothoracic surgery. We studied the effects of substituting direct haptic feedback with visual and auditory cues to provide the operating surgeon with a representation of the forces he or she is applying with robotic telemanipulators. METHODS: Using the robotic da Vinci surgical system (Intuitive Surgical, Inc, Sunnyvale, Calif), we compared applied forces during a standardized surgical knot-tying task under 4 different sensory-substitution scenarios: no feedback, auditory feedback, visual feedback, and combined auditory-visual feedback. RESULTS: The forces applied with these sensory-substitution modes more closely approximate suture tensions achieved under ideal haptic conditions (ie, hand ties) than forces applied without such sensory feedback. The consistency of applied forces during robot-assisted suture tying aided by visual feedback or combined auditory-visual feedback sensory substitution is superior to that achieved with hand ties. Robot-assisted ties aided with auditory feedback revealed levels of consistency that were generally equivalent or superior to those attained with hand ties. Visual feedback and auditory feedback improve the consistency of robotically applied forces. CONCLUSIONS: Sensory substitution, in the form of visual feedback, auditory feedback, or both, confers quantifiable advantages in applied force accuracy and consistency during the performance of a simple surgical task.

Anastomosis, Surgical↗

PubMed2004

Application of haptic feedback to robotic surgery.

Robotic surgical systems have greatly contributed to the advancement of minimally invasive endoscopic surgery. However, current robotic systems do not provide tactile or haptic feedback to the operating surgeon. Under certain circumstances, particularly with the manipulation of delicate tissues and suture materials, this may prove to be a significant irritation. We hypothesize that haptic feedback, in the form of sensory substitution, facilitates the performance of surgical knot tying. This preliminary study describes evidence that visual sensory substitution permits the surgeon to apply more consistent, precise, and greater tensions to fine suture materials without breakage during robot-assisted knot tying.

Cardiac Surgical Procedures↗

PubMed2004

Force modeling for needle insertion into soft tissue.

The modeling of forces during needle insertion into soft tissue is important for accurate surgical simulation, preoperative planning, and intelligent robotic assistance for percutaneous therapies. We present a force model for needle insertion and experimental procedures for acquiring data from ex vivo tissue to populate that model. Data were collected from bovine livers using a one-degree-of-freedom robot equipped with a load cell and needle attachment. computed tomography imaging was used to segment the needle insertion process into phases identifying different relative velocities between the needle and tissue. The data were measured and modeled in three parts: 1) capsule stiffness, a nonlinear spring model; 2) friction, a modified Karnopp model; and 3) cutting, a constant for a given tissue. In addition, we characterized the effects of needle diameter and tip type on insertion force using a silicone rubber phantom. In comparison to triangular and diamond tips, a bevel tip causes more needle bending and is more easily affected by tissue density variations. Forces for larger diameter needles are higher due to increased cutting and friction forces.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Speed-accuracy characteristics of human-machine cooperative manipulation using virtual fixtures with variable admittance.

This work explores the effect of virtual fixture admittance on the performance, defined by error and time, of task execution with a human-machine cooperative system. A desired path is obtained using computer vision, and virtual fixtures for assistance in planar path following were implemented on an admittance-controlled robot. The admittance controller uses a velocity gain, so that the speed of the robot is proportional to the force applied by the operator. The level of virtual fixture guidance is determined by the admittance ratio, which is the ratio of the admittance gain of the force components orthogonal to the path to the gain of the force components parallel to the path. In Experiment 1, we found a linear relationship between admittance ratio and performance. In Experiment 2, we examined the effect of admittance ratio on the performance of three tasks: path following, off-path targeting, and obstacle avoidance. An algorithm was developed to select an appropriate admittance ratio based on the nature of the task. Automatic admittance ratio tuning is recommended for next-generation virtual fixtures. Actual or potential applications of this research include surgery, assembly, and manipulation at the macro and micro scales.

Acceleration↗

PubMed2004

Virtual remote center of motion control for needle placement robots.

OBJECTIVE: We present an algorithm that enables percutaneous needle-placement procedures to be performed with unencoded, unregistered, minimally calibrated robots while removing the constraint of placing the needle tip on a mechanically enforced Remote Center of Motion (RCM). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The algorithm requires only online tracking of the surgical tool and a five-degree-of-freedom (5-DOF) robot comprising three prismatic DOF and two rotational DOF. An incremental adaptive motion control cycle guides the needle to the insertion point and also orients it to align with the target-entry-point line. The robot executes RCM motion without having a physically constrained fulcrum point. RESULTS: The proof-of-concept prototype system achieved 0.78 mm translation accuracy and 1.4 degrees rotational accuracy (this is within the tracker accuracy) within 17 iterative steps (0.5-1 s). CONCLUSION: This research enables robotic assistant systems for image-guided percutaneous procedures to be prototyped/constructed more quickly and less expensively than has been previously possible. Since the clinical utility of such systems is clear and has been demonstrated in the literature, our work may help promote widespread clinical adoption of this technology by lowering system cost and complexity.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2004

The effect of visual and haptic feedback on computer-assisted needle insertion.

OBJECTIVE: We present a study evaluating the effects of visual and haptic feedback on human performance in a needle insertion task. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A one-degree-of-freedom needle insertion simulator with a three-layer tissue model (skin, fat and muscle) was used in perceptual experiments. The objective of the 14 subjects was to detect the puncture of each tissue layer using varying haptic and visual cues. Performance was measured by overshoot error-the distance traveled by the virtual needle after puncture. RESULTS: Without force feedback, real-time visual feedback reduced error by at least 87% in comparison to static image overlay. Force feedback, in comparison to no force feedback, reduced puncture overshoot by at least 52% when visual feedback was absent or limited to static image overlay. A combination of force and visual feedback improved performance, especially for tissues with low stiffness, by at least 43% with visual display of the needle position, and by at least 67% with visual display of layer deflection. CONCLUSION: Real-time image overlay significantly enhances controlled puncture during needle insertion. Force feedback may not be necessary except in circumstances where visual feedback is limited.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Effect of sensory substitution on suture manipulation forces for surgical teleoperation.

Bilateral telemanipulation, which applies haptic feedback to the operator, is not yet available in most commercial robot-assisted surgical systems. We have shown in previous work that the lack of haptic (force or tactile) feedback is detrimental in applications requiring fine suture manipulation. In this paper, we study the effect of substituting direct haptic feedback with visual and auditory cues. Using the da Vinci robot from Intuitive Surgical, we observed the difference between applied forces during a knot tying procedure for four different sensory feedback substitution scenarios: no feedback, auditory feedback, visual feedback, and a combination of auditory and visual feedback. Our results indicate that visual feedback, which provides continuous force information, would improve robot-assisted performance during complex surgical tasks such as knot tying with fine sutures. Discrete auditory feedback gives additional useful support to the surgeon.

Feedback↗

PubMed2004

Haptic rendering of tissue cutting with scissors.

Current surgical simulations that involve cutting with scissors lack display of forces "between the fingers" of the operator. The objective of this work is to develop a fast, realistic haptic rendering technique for scissor cutting that can be easily integrated into soft tissue models commonly used in surgical simulators. A virtual environment was created for combined graphic and haptic display of cutting. Two 2-dimensional deformable mass-spring-damper models were developed: The first is a large mesh that is used to calculate translational forces. The second is a smaller, one-element-thick mesh that is used to calculate cutting (angular) forces. This technique was implemented on the haptic scissors, a haptic interface that allows motion and force feedback in translation and cutting.

Computer Graphics↗