Optimizing the Surgeon-Robot Interface: The Effect of Control-Display Gain and Zoom Level on Movement Time

While many advances have been made in surgical robotics technology, even for surgeons with relatively high levels of robotic surgery experience, many tasks take less time to perform manually. Although there are other benefits to surgical robotics that may outweigh task completion time, relatively lower efficiency will hinder the adoption of this technology. This study focused on two interface parameters: Control-Display Gain (CDG, i.e., the amount of robot movement resulting from a given robot controller movement) and the optical Zoom level that defines the working field of view. Results from a study with 10 participants suggest that CDG is a promising interface parameter for optimizing movement time in robot-assisted surgical tasks. The results have implications for the development and implementation of intelligent surgeon-robot interface technology and hold the potential to greatly improve the efficiency of robotic-assisted surgery techniques.

[1]  W. L. Jenkins,et al.  The use of a joy-stick in making settings on a simulated scope face. , 1954 .

[2]  G. Bartoo,et al.  Design controls , 2003, IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Magazine.

[3]  Jesse Orlansky,et al.  DESIGN OF CONTROLS , 1956 .

[4]  P. Fitts.  The information capacity of the human motor system in controlling the amplitude of movement. , 1954, Journal of experimental psychology.

[5]  T. Falcone,et al.  Robotic-assisted laparoscopic microsurgical tubal anastomosis: a human pilot study. , 2000, Fertility and sterility.

[6]  Joel S. Greenstein,et al.  Is Display/Control Gain a Useful Metric for Optimizing an Interface? , 1990 .

[7]  B. Kantowitz,et al.  Fitts' law with an isometric controller: effects of order of control and control-display gain. , 1988, Journal of motor behavior.

[8]  Shumin Zhai,et al.  Scale effects in steering law tasks , 2001, CHI.

[9]  W. L. Jenkins,et al.  Some design factors in making settings on a linear scale. , 1949 .

[10]  Ashutosh Tewari,et al.  Prospective comparison of radical retropubic prostatectomy and robot-assisted anatomic prostatectomy: the Vattikuti Urology Institute experience. , 2002, Urology.

[11]  S. J. Harris,et al.  The first clinical application of a "hands-on" robotic knee surgery system. , 2001, Computer aided surgery : official journal of the International Society for Computer Aided Surgery.

[12]  A. Jackson.  Performance of Rolling Ball and Isometric Joystick on a 2-D Target Alignment Task , 1984 .

[13]  U. Kappert,et al.  Closed-chest coronary artery surgery on the beating heart with the use of a robotic system. , 2000, Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.

[14]  J C Bowersox,et al.  Microvascular Anastomoses Performed in Rats Using a Microsurgical Telemanipulator , 2000, Computer aided surgery : official journal of the International Society for Computer Aided Surgery.

[15]  A. García-Ruiz,et al.  Manual vs robotically assisted laparoscopic surgery in the performance of basic manipulation and suturing tasks. , 1998, Archives of surgery.

[16]  M. Siemionow,et al.  Robotic Assistance in Microsurgery , 2000, Journal of reconstructive microsurgery.

[17]  Leslie Buck,et al.  Motor performance in relation to control-display gain and target width , 1980 .

[18]  M. Gagner,et al.  Comparison of laparoscopic skills performance between standard instruments and two surgical robotic systems , 2003, Surgical Endoscopy And Other Interventional Techniques.

[19]  Stuart K. Card,et al.  Powermice and user performance , 1990, CHI '90.

[20]  D. Chaffin,et al.  An investigation of fitts' law using a wide range of movement amplitudes. , 1976, Journal of motor behavior.

[21]  D. Riva,et al.  Robotics in child neurosurgery , 2000, Child's Nervous System.

[22]  C. N. Gutt,et al.  Early experiences of robotic surgery in children , 2002, Surgical Endoscopy.

[23]  William O. Richards,et al.  Robot-Assisted Endoscopic Intrauterine Myelomeningocele Repair: A Feasibility Study , 2002, Pediatric Neurosurgery.