Abstract: A system for non-contact body temperature determination includes a temperature sensor unit having a temperature sensor configured to detect a body temperature of a human subject within a field of view of the temperature sensor. The system also includes a computing device having a user interface and configured to wirelessly communicate with the temperature sensor unit, to receive body temperature information from the temperature sensor unit, and to display the body temperature information to a user. In some embodiments, the system includes a video doorbell assembly having a doorbell button, a microphone, a speaker, and an optical camera. Also disclosed is a method of determining a body temperature of a visitor at a building entrance equipped with a video doorbell.

Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for sharing health information. For example, the system includes a sensor unit adjacent a building entrance, a first computing device of a visitor to the building entrance, and a second computing device associated with an occupant of the building. The system can include device connected to a smart-home network. One method includes detecting the first computing device adjacent the entrance, requesting health data from the first computing device, the first computing device checking for authorization to share the health data with a user associated of the second computing device; the first computing device sending health data to the second computing device, a second computing device receiving the health data pertaining to the user of the first computing device, and the second computing device notifying the user of the second computing device based on the received health data.

Abstract: Gas-tight seal assemblies for use during minimally invasive surgery include various aspects. A wiper seal includes a sealing portion and a surrounding flex portion. Upper and lower faces of the sealing portions are angled with reference to an inserted instrument, the upper face's angle being more acute with reference to the instrument's shaft than the lower face's angle. The flex portion is corrugated, support ribs are in one or more corrugation grooves, and the support ribs allow the groove to easily collapse but resist the groove widening. The support ribs also prevent the sealing portion from inverting. An instrument insertion guide is positioned over the sealing portion and moves laterally with the sealing portion. A latch piece removably secures the seal assembly to a cannula. An anti-inversion piece prevents the wiper seal from inverting when an instrument is withdrawn.

Abstract: A medical device can include a housing, a first seal structure, and a seal expander. The first seal structure can have a proximal end and a distal end, and a side wall surrounding and defining an interior chamber. A seal wall can be connected to the side wall and include an expandable opening. A seal expander can be coupled to the housing, and can be at least partially in the interior chamber of the first seal structure. The seal expander can include an expandable neck portion and a seal interface portion, the seal interface portion being near an intersection of the side wall and the seal wall.

Abstract: A cartridge of a surgical instrument includes a housing, a drive member, and a knife member. The knife member is driven distally by the drive member and is configured to cut when moved distally. During an initial distal movement of the drive member, the knife member is coupled with the housing to restrain the knife member from moving distally. Subsequent to the initial distal movement of the drive member, the drive member drives the knife member toward the distal end.

Abstract: Gas-tight seal assemblies for us during minimally invasive surgery include various aspects. A wiper seal includes a sealing portion and a surrounding flex portion. Upper and lower faces of the sealing portions are angled with reference to an inserted instrument, the upper face's angle being more acute with reference to the instrument's shaft than the lower face's angle. The flex portion is corrugated, support ribs are in one or more corrugation grooves, and the support ribs allow the groove to easily collapse but resist the groove widening. The support ribs also prevent the sealing portion from inverting. An instrument insertion guide is positioned over the sealing portion and moves laterally with the sealing portion. A latch piece removably secures the seal assembly to a cannula. An anti-inversion piece prevents the wiper seal from inverting when an instrument is withdrawn.

Abstract: Surgical tools include an end effector mounted to an instrument shaft for articulation relative to the instrument shaft. A surgical tool includes an instrument shaft, an intermediate member pivotally coupled to the instrument shaft, an end effector and four tension members. The end effector includes an end effector base that is pivotally coupled to the intermediate member. The end effector base includes four attachment features. Each of the four tension members interfaces with an associated one of the four attachment features. The four tension members extend distally within a lumen of the instrument shaft and are arranged in diagonally opposed pairs.

Abstract: Disclosed are techniques for stapler reload detection and identification. A manipulator is configured to have an instrument mounted thereto. The instrument includes an end effector configured for mounting of a replaceable stapler cartridge and a pusher member configured to articulate a staple pushing shuttle of the stapler cartridge to deploy staples from the stapler cartridge. An actuation mechanism is drivingly coupled with the pusher member. A control unit is configured to control operation of the actuation mechanism to move the pusher member from a first position to a second position, wherein at the second position, the pusher member makes contact with a portion of the staple cartridge or a portion of the end effector; determine a distance of movement of the pusher member from the first position to the second position; and determine, based on the distance of movement, an operational status of the instrument relating to the stapler cartridge.

Abstract: Surgical devices, systems, and related methods provide automated assessment of the status of a surgical instrument. A surgical device is configured to staple tissue via a replaceable stapler cartridge. The surgical device includes a pusher member configured to articulate the stapler cartridge to deploy staples. The surgical device includes an actuation mechanism that articulates the pusher member and a control unit configured to control operation of the actuation mechanism to attempt move the pusher member from a first position to a second position subject to an output limit for the actuation mechanism and determine an attribute of the stapler cartridge based on an amount of movement of the pusher member achieved. The determined attribute can indicate a type of the stapler cartridge selected from different stapler cartridges, whether the stapler cartridge has already been fired, or that no stapler cartridge is mounted to the surgical device.

Abstract: A computer-assisted device include an actuator and one or more processors. The computer-assisted device is configured to support an instrument having an end effector located at a distal end. To perform an operation with the instrument, the one or more processors are configured to operate the end effector according to a state machine having a first state and a second state. In the first state a velocity set point of the actuator is set to a first velocity. In the second state the velocity set point of the actuator is set to a second velocity lower than the first velocity. The state machine transitions from the first state to the second state when a force or torque applied by the actuator is above a first threshold and transitions from the second state to the first state when the force or torque applied by the actuator is below a second threshold.

Abstract: An electrically energized medical instrument uses one or more drive cables to both actuate mechanical components of a wrist mechanism or an effector and to electrically energize the effector. Electrical isolation can be achieved using an insulating main tube through which drive cables extend from a backend mechanism to the effector, an insulating end cover that leaves only the desired portions of the effector exposed, and one or more seals to prevent electrically conductive liquid from entering the main tube. Component count and cost may be further reduced using a pair of pulleys that are shared by four drive cables.

Abstract: Surgical tools having a two degree-of-freedom wrist, wrist articulation by linked tension members, mechanisms for transmitting torque through an angle, and minimally invasive surgical tools incorporating these features are disclosed. An elongate intermediate wrist member is pivotally coupled with a distal end of an instrument shaft so as to rotate about a first axis transverse to the shaft, and an end effector body is pivotally coupled with the intermediate member so as to rotate about a second axis that is transverse to the first axis. Linked tension members interact with attachment features to articulate the wrist. A torque-transmitting mechanism includes a coupling member, coupling pins, a drive shaft, and a driven shaft. The drive shaft is coupled with the driven shaft so as to control the relative orientations of the drive shaft, the coupling member, and the driven shaft.

Abstract: Surgical assemblies and related methods are disclosed that provide for decoupling of instrument shaft roll and end effector actuation. A surgical assembly includes a base, an instrument shaft rotationally mounted to the base, an end effector supported at a distal end of the instrument shaft and including an actuation mechanism driven by a rotational motion, a drive shaft rotationally coupled with the actuation mechanism and configured to provide the rotational motion to the actuation mechanism, and a differential rotationally coupled to the drive shaft and receiving a first input motion and a second input motion. The differential combines the first and second input motions to generate an output motion that rotates the drive shaft. The first input motion is rotationally coupleable to an actuation source. The second input motion is coupled to rotation of the instrument shaft relative to the base.

Abstract: A surgical instrument includes an elongated shaft and an end effector coupled to the shaft. The end effector includes a first member, a knife member, and a second member. The first member is movable towards a distal end of the end effector. The knife member is pivotally coupled to the first member. The second member is movable towards the distal end of the end effector. The knife member is configured to be in a cutting position during a translation of the first and second members towards the distal end of the end effector. The knife member is rotatable relative to the first member to stow the knife member into a non-cutting position after the translation of the first and second members towards the distal end of the end effector.

Abstract: A robotic surgical assembly includes a drive assembly and a shaft assembly. The drive assembly is detachably mountable to a surgical robot and includes roll, pitch, and clamp/fire inputs configured to drivingly couple with respective outputs of the surgical robot. The shaft assembly is mounted to the drive assembly and configured to detachably couple with a stapler reload assembly that includes a reload roll shaft, a reload pitch shaft, and a reload clamp/fire shaft. The shaft assembly includes a roll shaft, a pitch shaft, and a clamp/fire shaft. The roll shaft is drivingly coupled with the roll input and configured to detachably couple to the reload roll shaft. The pitch shaft is drivingly coupled with the pitch input and configured to detachably couple to the reload pitch shaft. The clamp/fire shaft is drivingly coupled with the clamp/fire input and configured to detachably couple to the reload clamp/fire shaft.

Abstract: Surgical tools include an end effector mounted to an instrument shaft for articulation relative to the instrument shaft. A surgical tool includes an instrument shaft, an intermediate member pivotally coupled to the instrument shaft, an end effector and four tension members. The end effector includes an end effector base that is pivotally coupled to the intermediate member. The end effector base includes four attachment features. Each of the four tension members interfaces with an associated one of the four attachment features. The four tension members extend distally within a lumen of the instrument shaft and are arranged in diagonally opposed pairs.

Abstract: A system and method of variable velocity control of a surgical instrument in a computer-assisted medical device including an end effector located at a distal end of the instrument, an actuator, and drive mechanisms for coupling force or torque from the actuator to the end effector. To perform an operation with the instrument, the computer-assisted medical device sets a velocity set point of the actuator to an initial velocity, monitors force or torque applied by the actuator, reduces the velocity set point when the applied force or torque is above a first threshold, increases the velocity set point when the applied force or torque is below a second threshold, decreases the velocity set point to zero when the applied force or torque is above a maximum threshold, and drives the actuator based on the velocity set point. The first and second thresholds are lower than the maximum threshold.

Abstract: A method of controlling a surgical instrument comprising an end effector may comprise detecting a first signal indicating that an end effector component of a surgical instrument is positioned between a first position and a second position; and automatically controlling operation of the end effector component when a second signal is not detected within a predetermined delayed response time period after detecting the first signal, wherein the second signal indicates that the end effector component is in one of the first position or the second position.

Abstract: An electrically energized medical instrument uses one or more drive cables to both actuate mechanical components of a wrist mechanism or an effector and to electrically energize the effector. Electrical isolation can be achieved using an insulating main tube through which drive cables extend from a backend mechanism to the effector, an insulating end cover that leaves only the desired portions of the effector exposed, and one or more seals to prevent electrically conductive liquid from entering the main tube. Component count and cost may be further reduced using a pair of pulleys that are shared by four drive cables.

Abstract: Stapler cartridges and surgical apparatus that include a stapler cartridge can include a knife that retracts into the stapler cartridge after cutting stapled tissue to prevent an operator being cut by the knife during replacement of the used stapler cartridge with a new stapler cartridge. A stapler cartridge includes a staple pushing shuttle, a knife member slidably coupled with the staple pushing shuttle, and a cartridge body. The staple pushing shuttle is slidably coupled to the cartridge body. The cartridge body includes a guide track engaged by the knife member and configured so that a cutting blade of the knife member protrudes from the cartridge body during a first portion of a distal movement of the staple pushing shuttle and the cutting blade is retracted into the cartridge body during a second portion of the distal movement of the staple pushing shuttle.