Abstract: Embodiments of an actuated cannula seal are disclosed In some embodiments, a cannula seal includes a base portion that engages with a cannula; and a seal portion integrally formed with the base portion, the sealing portion capable of engaging with an instrument shaft, the sealing portion capable of being actuated by an actuator so that the sealing portion is continually in motion relative to the instrument shaft. The actuation of the sealing portion can be accomplished by rotation or vibration of the sealing portion relative to the instrument shaft.

Abstract: An instrument sterile adapter couples a surgical instrument and an instrument carriage. The instrument sterile adapter includes an instrument plate that provides a first surface to receive the surgical instrument and a latch plate joined to the instrument plate. The latch plate includes a second surface to receive the instrument carriage and latch structures. Each latch structure has a carriage latch arm that extends away from the second surface of the latch plate and an instrument latch arm joined to the carriage latch arm. The instrument latch arm extends through the instrument plate and away from the first surface of the instrument plate. A connecting member flexibly connects the carriage latch arm and the instrument latch arm to a remainder of the latch plate. The connecting member may be perpendicular to the latch arms. The latch arms may engage fixed locking surfaces in the instrument carriage and the surgical instrument.

Abstract: Implementations relate to a direct drive for a mechanical arm assembly. In some implementations, a mechanical arm assembly includes a base member, a first arm member rotatably coupled to the base member at a first portion of the first arm member, and a second arm member having a first portion rotatably coupled to a second portion of the first arm member. The first arm member is rotatable with respect to the base member about a first axis, and the second arm member is rotatable with respect to the first arm member about a second axis. A first motor coupled to the base member, the first motor including a first drive shaft rotatable about the first axis and coupled to the first arm member. A grip member is coupled to a second portion of the second arm member.

Abstract: An imaging system includes an illuminator for providing illumination on a region of interest, one or more first detectors for detecting reflections of the illumination, and a processing unit. The processing unit is configured to: receive a first image containing the region of interest; determine a first region of high specular reflection in the first image based on the reflections of the illumination on the region of interest; mask the first image by substituting a default color designating masking to alert a user to incomplete image information in the first region of high specular reflection to create a masked first image; and generate a composite image based on the masked first image and a fluorescence image of the region of interest.

Abstract: Example embodiments include an optical interrogation system with a sensing fiber having a single core, the single core having multiple light propagating modes. Interferometric apparatus probes the single core multimode sensing fiber over a range of predetermined wavelengths and detects measurement interferometric data associated with the multiple light propagating modes of the single core for each predetermined wavelength in the range. Data processing circuitry processes the measurement interferometric data associated with the multiple light propagating modes of the single core to determine one or more shape-sensing parameters of the sensing fiber from which the shape of the fiber in three dimensions can be determined.

Abstract: A medical device may comprise an instrument comprising a shaft and a working end comprising a jaw mechanism, and a translating mechanism moveable in a first direction and a second direction relative to the jaw mechanism, the first and second directions opposite to one another. The medical device may further comprise a controller configured to in response to a first input, control movement of the translating mechanism from a proximal position to an intermediate position relative to the jaw mechanism, in response to a second input, control movement of the translating mechanism from the intermediate position to a distal position relative to the jaw mechanism, control movement of the translating mechanism from the distal position back to the proximal position, and monitor a position of the translating mechanism to determine whether the translating mechanism has moved from the distal position back to the proximal position after a predetermined time period.

Abstract: An apparatus for guiding an elongated flexible instrument comprises a variable-length support assembly. The variable-length support assembly includes a first end, a second end, a plurality of support member pairs, and a plurality of eyelets configured to receive the elongated flexible instrument. Each support member pair comprises a first support member linked to a second support member, and each of the plurality of eyelets is movably coupled to at least one of the plurality of support member pairs along a longitudinal central axis between the first end and the second end. The variable-length support assembly is configured to selectively transition from a compressed configuration to an expanded configuration along the longitudinal central axis, and the plurality of eyelets are adapted to support the elongated flexible instrument as the elongated flexible instrument is advanced along the longitudinal central axis.

Abstract: A robotic system may comprise a first robotic arm operatively coupleable to a first tool. The first tool has a first working end. The system may also comprise an image capture device, a display, and a processor. The processor may be configured to cause an image of a work site, which was captured by the image capture device from a perspective of an image reference frame, to be displayed on the display. The image of the work site includes an image of the first working end of the first tool. The processor may also determine a position of the first working end of the first tool in the image of the work site and render a tool information overlay at the position of the first working end of the first tool in the image of the work site. The tool information overlay visually indicates state information for the first tool. The processor may also change the tool information overlay while the first tool is in a first operational state by changing a brightness of the tool information overlay.

Abstract: A medical device includes an instrument connector. The instrument connector includes a main body and a coupler fixedly attached to the mail body. The main body includes a first interface for a first operational channel for the medical device. The coupler is configured to receive a portion of a cable assembly including a second interface for a second operational channel for the medical device.

Abstract: A system and method of monitoring a procedure includes a medical device. The medical device includes an elongate device including a flexible body, a tracking system disposed along at least a portion of the flexible body, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the tracking system. The one or more processors are configured to receive a route to a target location in an anatomy, determine one or more features of the route based on a first anatomical representation, generate a reduced anatomical representation based on the one or more features of the route, receive real-time position information from the tracking system, associate the real-time position information to the reduced anatomical representation, and dynamically display the reduced anatomical representation with the associated real-time position information.

Abstract: A surgical system includes a surgical instrument that is sensitive to backlash that would adversely affect the transmission of controlled torque and position to the surgical instrument. The surgical instrument is coupled to motors in a surgical instrument manipulator assembly via a mechanical interface. The combination of the mechanical interface and surgical instrument manipulator assembly have low backlash, e.g., less than 0.7 degrees. The backlash is controlled in the surgical instrument manipulator assembly. From the drive output disk in the surgical instrument manipulator assembly to the driven disk of the surgical instrument, the mechanical interface has zero backlash for torque levels used in surgical procedures.

Abstract: A surgical instrument includes a support structure, a shaft, a shaft translation carriage including a shaft roll carrier, a shaft roll drive group, and a force sensor unit. The shaft comprises a proximal end and a distal end, and a shaft axis is defined by the proximal and distal ends. The shaft is coupled to the support structure by the shaft roll carrier. The shaft roll drive group is configured to rotate the shaft about the shaft axis and comprises a shaft roll driver, a shaft roll drive receiver, and a shaft roll drive coupling. The shaft roll drive receiver translates along the shaft axis relative to the shaft roll driver as the shaft translates along the shaft axis. The force sensor unit is configured to produce a the shaft axis.

Abstract: A medical instrument includes an instrument shaft with exit holes near a distal end of the shaft, a tool coupled to the distal end of the shaft, and a backend. The backend may include a mechanism that manipulates a drive element that extends through the shaft and couples to the tool, a fluid inlet, and a fluid channel assembly providing fluid communication between the fluid inlet and the proximal end of the shaft. Cleaning fluid is directed into the fluid inlet, through the fluid channel assembly, and into the shaft. A chassis or other structural piece of the backend may form part of the fluid channel assembly.

Abstract: A method comprises operably coupling a surgical instrument to a first connector port of a plurality of connector ports of a flux supply unit. The method further comprises, in response to operably coupling the surgical instrument, altering an appearance of a first graphical user interface section of a plurality of graphical user interface sections presented on a display, each of the plurality of graphical user interface sections being aligned with a differing connector port of the plurality of connector ports.

Abstract: A teleoperated surgical system is provided comprising: a first robotic surgical instrument; an image capture; a user display; a user input command device coupled to receive user input commands to control movement of the first robotic surgical instrument; and a movement controller coupled to scale a rate of movement of the first robotic surgical instrument, based at least in part upon a surgical skill level at using the first robotic surgical instrument of the user providing the received user input commands, from a rate of movement indicated by the user input commands received at the user input command device.

Abstract: Systems and methods for operation of a medical device may include at least two sensors to confirm a command to control a medical instrument is intentionally made by an operator. The systems may include an operator-detection sensor associated with an input device and configured to detect a presence of an operator at the input device. The systems may also include a motion sensor associated with the input device and configured to detect a displacement distance of the input device. A control unit may use a displacement threshold for the input device and may be configured to permit or prevent control signal generation based on feedback from the at least two sensors.

Abstract: An illustrative apparatus may perform gaze-based auto-exposure management of image frames. For example, the apparatus may determine, for an image frame within an image frame sequence captured by an image capture system, auto-exposure values for pixel units into which the image frame is divided. The apparatus may then assign weight values to the pixel units based on a gaze direction of a viewer viewing the image frame sequence. Based on the auto-exposure values determined for the pixel units and the weight values assigned to the pixel units, the apparatus may update one or more auto-exposure parameters for use by the image capture system to capture an additional image frame within the image frame sequence. Corresponding apparatuses, systems, and methods for gaze-based auto-exposure management of image frames are also disclosed.

Abstract: Implementations relate to capacitive sensing of hand presence at a control input device. In some implementations, a control input device includes a support structure, a handle moveable in one or more degrees of freedom with reference to the support structure, and a capacitive sensor circuit electrically coupled to the handle. The handle is isolated from electrical ground and is an antenna for the capacitive sensor circuit.

Abstract: A medical instrument includes a tool having a mating tool portion with a first set of angled flats and a flexible elongated body having a mating channel portion with a second set of angled flats. When the tool is inserted into a channel of the flexible elongated body, the first set of angled flats engages with the second set of angled flats. The first and second sets of angled flats may be configured such that the tool is oriented into one of a plurality of predetermined orientations relative to the flexible elongated body when the first and second sets of angled flats are engaged during tool insertion.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a surgical instrument, such as a tissue sealing instrument, with an elongate shaft and an end effector movably coupled to the shaft with a joint or wrist assembly. The wrist assembly includes a first outer link, a second outer link, and an inner link. The first outer link is connected to the elongated shaft and movably coupled to the second outer link by the inner link. The inner link includes a pair of posts, and the first and second outer links each include a recess configured to receive a respective one of the pair of posts. The posts and recesses defining a rocking hinge, which permits the wrist assembly to accommodate a reduction in the size of the rolling radius to reduce the likelihood of grabbing and pinching tissue during articulation of the end effector without sacrificing the internal bend radius of the hinge joint.