Abstract: A surgical system includes a robot main body, a slave controller, a display device that displays an endoscopic image, and an manipulation input device. The robot main body includes an entry guide having a plurality of guide bores, an entry guide support device that supports the entry guide, an instrument manipulator that has a surgical instrument provided at a distal end and is inserted into the entry guide, and an endoscope manipulator that has an endoscopic camera provided at a distal end and is inserted into the entry guide. The slave controller operates the robot main body such that the surgical instrument advances from an exit of the entry guide after the endoscopic camera advances from the exit of the entry guide and starts capturing in response to a body cavity insertion command received by the manipulation input device.

Abstract: A surgical system includes a surgical assist robot including a robot main body and a slave controller, and a console. The robot main body has an entry guide, an entry guide support device, and at least one manipulator having an end effector provided at a distal end. The entry guide includes an inner cylinder, an outer cylinder into which the inner cylinder is inserted in an insertion axial direction, and a guide advancing device that displaces the inner cylinder in the insertion axial direction with respect to the outer cylinder. While a position and a posture of the end effector that has advanced from the entry guide are maintained, the inner cylinder is caused to advance toward the end effector within a predetermined movable range along the insertion axial direction with respect to the outer cylinder.

Abstract: A remote control apparatus according to one or more embodiments may include: an operating handle for remotely operating medical equipment; an operation pedal unit including a plurality of pedals each of which is operated when pressed downward by a foot to perform a function related to the medical equipment, and a sensor unit detecting a presence of the foot operating any one of the plurality of pedals; and a control unit which receives detection information from the sensor unit. The sensor unit comprises two or more sensors provided in the vicinity of a first pedal among the plurality of pedals. When the control unit receives detection information from the two or more sensors provided in the vicinity of the first pedal, the control unit determines that the foot operating the first pedal is present.

Abstract: A treatment tool unit according to one or more embodiments may be attachable to an actuation unit including an actuation-side shaft which accommodates rigid actuation-side elongate elements. The treatment tool unit may include: a distal end portion; flexible elongate elements coupled to the distal end portion to manipulate the distal end portion; rigid distal end-side elongate elements each including a first end coupled to a corresponding one of the flexible elongate elements and a second end capable of being coupled to a corresponding one of the actuation-side elongate elements; a distal end-side shaft which accommodates the rigid distal end-side elongate elements and is attachable to the actuation-side shaft; and a distal end-side movement restricting portion which restricts movements of the distal end-side elongate elements with respect to the distal end-side shaft toward the distal end portion in an axial direction of the distal end-side shaft.

Abstract: A medical instrument includes: a plurality of inner tubes into each of which a flexible shaft of a surgical instrument that is provided with a surgical tool on a leading end-side portion thereof can be inserted; an outer tube into which the plurality of inner tubes can be inserted and that is to be inserted into a body cavity; and inner tube drive mechanisms each of which includes an operational element for bending an inner tube corresponding thereto and electrically controls the operational element thereof.

Abstract: A surgical system includes: a plurality of surgical instruments each of which includes a flexible shaft provided with a surgical tool on a leading end-side portion thereof, a supporting platform that supports the plurality of surgical instruments; a medical instrument that includes a plurality of flexible inner tubes into which the flexible shafts of the surgical instruments can be inserted, and an outer tube into which the plurality of flexible inner tubes can be inserted and that is to be inserted into a body cavity; and a gripping mechanism that includes a gripping portion that grips the outer tube, and a supporting portion that includes at least one joint portion and that fixes and supports the gripping portion, the at least one joint portion making the medical instrument adjustable regarding the position and orientation thereof.

Abstract: A surgical tool according to one or more embodiment may include: an end effector; an elongate element that drives the end effector; a hollow shaft that includes a proximal end portion and a distal end portion which is coupled to the end effector; a driving member which the elongate element led via the shaft is wound on; a guide pulley that is disposed between the proximal end portion of the shaft and the driving member and guides the elongate element; and a tension pulley that is disposed between the proximal end portion of the shaft and the guide pulley and biases the elongate element.

Abstract: There is provided an end effector that is attached to a tip end of a robot arm for providing dispensation using a pipette and a chip attached to the pipette. The pipette includes a press button configured to draw a liquid into the chip or to discharge the liquid drawn into the chip from the chip as the press button is pressed and operated. The end effector includes a holding part for holding the pipette, a motor, and a swing part that presses and operates the press button as the swing part is driven and swung by the motor.

Abstract: A dispensing apparatus that dispenses a sample into a well of a microplate, including a light emitter that emits light to the well, a light receiver that receives light emitted by the light emitter and returned from the well; and a control unit that determines whether foreign matter is present in the well based on information on the light received by the light receiver.

Abstract: A method of attaching a tip to a pipette, which is executed in a robot system, includes: making an end effector of a robot hold a pipette; bringing a vicinity portion of a distal end of the pipette into contact with or close to an edge of an opening formed in a base of a tip while tilting an axis direction of the pipette by a predetermined angle with respect to an axis direction of the tip; attaching the tip to the pipette by inserting the distal end of the pipette and the vicinity portion of the distal end of the pipette into the tip while raising the pipette such that the axis direction of the pipette is aligned with the axis direction of the tip; and separating the pipette and the tip attached to the pipette from the predetermined spot.

Abstract: A reagent storage arranged at a predetermined position where predetermined work is able to be performed by a robot. The reagent storage cabinet includes: a container accommodating portion including an upper-surface opening portion and accommodating a reagent container; and a storage cabinet main body including a front-surface opening portion through which the container accommodating portion is put in and pulled out and a storage space communicating with the front-surface opening portion and accommodating the container accommodating portion. In an accommodated state that is a state where the container accommodating portion is accommodated in storage cabinet main body, the upper-surface opening portion of the container accommodating portion is sealed. In a pulled-out state that is a state where the container accommodating portion is pulled out from storage cabinet main body, the robot is able to directly access, from above, a reagent in the reagent container accommodated in the container accommodating portion.

Abstract: There is provided a rotary stocker which includes: a base; a rotary part provided on the base and rotatably connected to the base about a rotary axis extending in a vertical direction; a rotary drive device provided for rotating the rotary part; a plurality of shelves on which an object to be placed is placed, the plurality of shelves being fixed to the rotary part and being arranged in a circumferential direction about the rotary axis; and a sensor positioned outside the plurality of shelves in a radial direction of the rotary axis, the sensor capable of detecting whether the object to be placed is placed on each of the shelves positioned between the rotary axis and the sensor.

Abstract: A dispensing method executed in a robot system including a pipette, a tip, a container, a liquid in the container, and a robot including a robot arm, an end effector, and a robot controller that controls the robot arm and the end effector to perform operations on the pipette and the tip, includes: making the end effector hold the pipette and the tip attached to the pipette; dipping at least a point of the tip attached to the pipette in the liquid and aspirating the liquid into the tip; bringing an outer surface of the tip attached to the pipette into contact with a part of the container, wherein the part of the container is at least one of an edge of an opening and an inside surface; and pulling the pipette and the tip attached to the pipette out of the container through the opening.

Abstract: The present invention provides a lid closing device and a lid closing method, each of which does not require a high degree of accuracy when performing a lid closing operation. A holding portion moves such that a lid is located at a position above a container. Holding of the lid by the holding portion is released at the position above the container. The lid falls to cover the container. Thus, the lid closing operation is performed.

Abstract: A dispensing robot of an assay robot system includes a first contact surface oriented in a downward direction or an obliquely downward direction in a vertical direction and dispenses when the dispensing robot operates a pipette that allows a tip to be attached to a lower end of the pipette and the attached tip to be detached by pressing a tip ejector, the dispensing robot comprising: a robot arm having a hand to hold a pipette holding piece attached thereto; and a controller controls the robot arm such that the robot arm holds the pipette with the tip attached thereto by causing the hand to hold the pipette holding piece and that the robot arm is elevated and the tip ejector is pressed by bringing an upper end portion of the tip ejector of the held pipette into contact with the first contact surface from the downward direction.

Abstract: A surgical tool according to one or more embodiments may include: an end effector; a shaft that includes a proximal end portion and a distal end portion which is coupled to the end effector; driving pulleys that are provided on the proximal end portion side of the shaft and rotatable to drive the end effector; and rotatable transmission-counterpart members that rotate the driving pulleys. The transmission-counterpart members include a first transmission-counterpart member and a second transmission-counterpart member. A rotation axis of the first transmission-counterpart member and a rotation axis of the second transmission-counterpart member intersect with each other.

Abstract: A grip mechanism to grip a medical treatment tool according to one or more embodiments may include: a base to which a part of the medical treatment tool is attachable; a vertical movement mechanism configured to change a height of the base; and an angle change mechanism configured to change an angle of the base in conjunction with the vertical movement mechanism.

Abstract: A medical manipulator is disclosed, which includes a multiple-degree freedom arm, which can be mounted with a medical instrument; a memory configured to retain an insertion port position indicating a spatial position of an insertion port for inserting the medical instrument mounted in the multiple-degree freedom arm into a human body; and a controller configured to determine an insertion posture of the medical instrument so as to cause an extended line of a major axis of the medical instrument to pass through the spatial position indicated by the insertion port position, and configured to move the multiple-degree freedom arm to the determined insertion posture.

Abstract: This disclosure discloses a surgical system that includes, for example, a patient-side cart (also referred to as a surgical robot) and a console apparatus. The patient-side cart includes an endoscope apparatus that includes three or more endoscope arms. The console apparatus manipulates the patient-side cart. In the endoscope apparatus, for example, feature points of respective images obtained by respective imaging devices of the three or more endoscopes are used to join the respective images together to generate a composite image, and the composite image is displayed on a display screen. The composite image generated from the images in three visual fields to be provided to an operator ensures providing an image in a wide range, and allows the operator to confirm various sites by a visual check during surgery (ensuring an endoscopic surgery while having a large visual field as in a laparotomy) (FIG. 1).

Abstract: A remote control apparatus to remotely control a patient-side system including medical equipment and an endoscope to capture an image of a surgery site according to an embodiment includes: an operation handle with which an operator controls the medical equipment; and an operation pedal section. The operation pedal section includes: plural pedals configured to be pressed down to execute functions concerning the medial equipment; and a base on which the plural pedals are arranged, the plural pedals being arranged at locations not overlapping each other in a planar view. The plural pedals include first height pedals with upper ends thereof located at a first height position and second height pedals with upper ends thereof located at a second height position, which is different from the first height position. The first height pedals are arranged alternately with the second height pedals.