Abstract: A robotic system that moves a surgical instrument in response to the actuation of a foot pedal that can be operated by the foot of a surgeon. The robotic system has an end effector that is adapted to hold a surgical instrument such as an endoscope. The end effector is coupled to an articulate arm which can move the endoscope relative to the patient. The articulate arm can be located within a first coordinate system, the end effector may be located in a second coordinate system and the surgical instrument may be located within a third coordinate system. The system includes a computer which controls the movement of the robotic arm in response to input commands received from an input device such as the foot pedal. The controller may perform a software routine that computes the movement of the articulate arm and end effector in response to the input commands. The software routine may utilize transformation functions to transfer movement of the instrument from one coordinate system to another coordinate system.

Abstract: A robotic system that moves a surgical instrument in response to the actuation of a foot pedal that can be operated by the foot of a surgeon. The robotic system has an end effector that is adapted to hold a surgical instrument such as an endoscope. The end effector is coupled to a robotic arm assembly which can move the endoscope relative to the patient. The system includes a computer which controls the movement of the robotic arm in response to input signals received from the foot pedal.

Abstract: A system for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures. The system includes a pair of surgical instruments that are coupled to a pair of robotic arms. The instruments have end effectors that can be manipulated to hold and suture tissue. The robotic arms are coupled to a pair of master handles by a controller. The handles can be moved by the surgeon to produce a corresponding movement of the end effectors. The movement of the handles is scaled so that the end effectors have a corresponding movement that is different, typically smaller, than the movement performed by the hands of the surgeon. The scale factor is adjustable so that the surgeon can control the resolution of the end effector movement. The movement of the end effector can be controlled by an input button, so that the end effector only moves when the button is depressed by the surgeon.

Abstract: A robotic system that moves a surgical instrument in response to the actuation of a foot pedal that can be operated by the foot of a surgeon. The robotic system has an end effector that is adapted to hold a surgical instrument such as an endoscope. The end effector is coupled to a robotic arm assembly which can move the endoscope relative to the patient. The system includes a computer which controls the movement of the robotic arm in response to input signals received from the foot pedal.

Abstract: A robotic system that moves a surgical instrument in response to the actuation of a control panel that can be operated by a surgeon. The robotic system has an end effector that is adapted to hold a surgical instrument such as an endoscope. The end effector is coupled to a robotic arm assembly which can move the endoscope relative to a patient. The system includes a computer which controls the movement of a robotic arm in response to input signals received from the control panel. The robotic system is mounted to a cart which can be wheeled to and from an operating table. The cart has a clamping mechanism which attaches the cart to the table. The system also contains a spring loaded mount plate that allows the robotic arm to be rotated and adjusted relative to the cart and the patient. Both the robotic arm and the control panel are encapsulated by protective bags that prevent the system from being contaminated.

Abstract: A construction element that contains a shape memory element which changes shape in response to a change in the temperature of the memory element. The temperature is varied by a fluid which flows through channels adjacent to the shape memory element. The fluid typically flows through an inner channel of the memory element and an outer element formed by the element and an outer elastic pipe. A plurality of shape memory elements can be coupled together to create a robotic arm or an endoscopic instrument. The arm or endoscope can change shape by varying the temperature of the fluid. The fluid temperature and the corresponding shape of the arm/endoscope can be controlled by a computer.

Abstract: A robotic system that moves a surgical instrument in response to the actuation of a control panel that can be operated by a surgeon. A robotic system has an end effector that is adapted to hold a surgical instrument such as an endoscope. The end effector is coupled to a robotic arm assembly which can move an endoscope relative to a patient. The system includes a computer which controls the movement of a robotic arm in response to input signals received from the control panel. The robotic system is mounted to a cart which can be wheeled to and from an operating table. The cart has a clamping mechanism which attaches the cart to the table. The system also contains a spring loaded mount plate that allows the robotic arm to be rotated and adjusted relative to the cart and the patient. Both the robotic arm and the control panel are encapsulated by protective bags that prevent the system from being contaminated.

Abstract: A robotic system that moves a surgical instrument in response to the actuation of a foot pedal that can be operated by the foot of a surgeon. The robotic system has an end effector that is adapted to hold a surgical instrument such as an endoscope. The end effector is coupled to a robotic arm assembly which can move the endoscope relative to the patient. The system includes a computer which controls the movement of the robotic arm in response to input signals received from the foot pedal.

Abstract: A robotic system that moves a surgical instrument in response to the actuation of a foot pedal that can be operated by the foot of a surgeon. The robotic system has an end effector that is adapted to hold a surgical instrument such as an endoscope. The end effector is coupled to a robotic arm assembly which can move the endoscope relative to the patient. The system includes a computer which controls the movement of the robotic arm in response to input signals received from the foot pedal.

Abstract: The present invention is a three-dimensional vector co-processing system (3DVCP) including the datapath of a three-dimensional vector co-processor having a register-to-register architecture and being coupled to a general-purpose processor. The source multiplexer and the destination multiplexer of the co-processor uses full cross-bar switches. As such, the three-dimensional co-processor evaluates three-dimensional vectors and scalars while the general-purpose processor performs the other "general purpose" functions. The 3DVCP includes a co-processor interface for synchronizing the three-dimensional vector co-processor and the general-purpose processor. With this interface, the general-purpose processor controls the address bus and control lines of the data bus. The three-dimensional vector co-processor also has an instruction set that enables the control unit to pipeline the program instructions in stages in addition to instruction fetch, fetch instruction, instruction execute, and store-result.