A vision-based system for fast and accurate laser scanning in robot-assisted phonomicrosurgery

Purpose   Surgical quality in phonomicrosurgery can be improved by open-loop laser control (e.g., high-speed scanning capabilities) with a robust and accurate closed-loop visual servoing systems. A new vision-based system for laser scanning control during robot-assisted phonomicrosurgery was developed and tested.Methods   Laser scanning was accomplished with a dual control strategy, which adds a vision-based trajectory correction phase to a fast open-loop laser controller. The system is designed to eliminate open-loop aiming errors caused by system calibration limitations and by the unpredictable topology of real targets. Evaluation of the new system was performed using $$\hbox {CO}_{2}$$CO2 laser cutting trials on artificial targets and ex-vivo tissue.Results   This system produced accuracy values corresponding to pixel resolution even when smoke created by the laser-target interaction clutters the camera view. In realistic test scenarios, trajectory following RMS errors were reduced by almost 80 % with respect to open-loop system performances, reaching mean error values around 30 $$\upmu $$μm and maximum observed errors in the order of 60 $$\upmu $$μm.Conclusion   A new vision-based laser microsurgical control system was shown to be effective and promising with significant positive potential impact on the safety and quality of laser microsurgeries.