Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods for limiting the grip force generated by closing robotic wrist jaws while operating in position mode in which the jaws are commanded to a desired jaw angle prior to being commanded to generate a grip force. In the positional mode, the desired jaw angle is above a threshold that corresponds to an angle at which both jaws are just simultaneously in contact with an object between the jaws or, if there is no object to grasp, when the jaws begin to touch each other. A feedback loop may analyze the desired jaw angle and the measured grip force to determine if the jaws are closing in the position mode and if the measured grip force exceeds a maximum grip force threshold. If so, the feedback loop may calculate a grip force error to limit the measured grip force to the maximum grip force threshold.

Abstract: A method for disengaging a surgical instrument of a surgical robotic system comprising receiving a gaze input from an eye tracker; determining, by one or more processors, whether the gaze input indicates the gaze of the user is outside or inside of the display; in response to determining the gaze input indicates the gaze of the user is outside of the display, determining an amount of time the gaze of the user is outside of the display; in response to determining the gaze of the user is outside of the display for less than a maximum amount of time, pause the surgical robotic system from a teleoperation mode; and in response to determining the gaze of the user is outside of the display for more than the maximum amount of time, disengage the surgical robotic system from the teleoperation mode.

Abstract: A virtual surgical robot being built from kinematic data is rendered to a display. A user input is received to effect a movement or a configuration of the virtual surgical robot. The kinematic data is modified based on evaluation of the movement or the configuration of the virtual surgical robot.

Abstract: A series of images is obtained from an endoscope. Three-dimensional reconstruction is performed on the series of images to reconstruct anatomy shown in the series of images. A graphic, such as a grid, is rendered based on the three-dimensional reconstruction, over the series of images resulting in an enhanced endoscopic video feed to be shown on a display.

Abstract: A virtual reality system providing a virtual robotic surgical environment, and methods for using the virtual reality system, are described herein. The virtual reality system may be used to expedite the R&D cycle during development of a robotic surgical system, such as by allowing simulation of potential design without the time and significant expense of physical prototypes. The virtual reality system may also be used to test a control algorithm or a control mode for a robotic surgical component.

Abstract: Surgical robotic systems, and methods of verifying functionality of a user interface device of such systems, are described. During a surgical procedure, the user interface device controls motion of a surgical tool. Proximity sensors of the user interface device generate proximity measures throughout the surgical procedure. The proximity measures are used to detect whether the user interface device is dropped and to responsively halt motion of the surgical tool. To verify an accuracy of the proximity sensors that provide the drop detection, a test is performed when the user interface device is placed in a dock. The test compares the generated proximity measures to expected proximity data. When the proximity measures match the expected proximity data, the system determines that the proximity sensors are functioning accurately and verifies that the user interface device is functioning safely. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: This patent disclosure provides various embodiments of combining multiple modalities of non-text surgical data in forms of videos, images, and audios in a meaningful manner so that the combined data can be used to perform comprehensive data analytics for a surgical procedure. In some embodiments, the disclosed system can begin by receiving two or more modalities of surgical data during the surgical procedure. The system then time-synchronizes the two or more modalities of surgical data to generate two or more modalities of time-synchronized surgical data. Next, the system converts each modality of the time-synchronized surgical data into a corresponding array of values of a common format. The system then combines the two or more arrays of values to generate a combined set of values. The system subsequently performs comprehensive data analytics on the combined set of values to generate a surgical decision for the surgical procedure.

Abstract: A port placement guide may include a base, a member, and at least one tracking element. The base can be configured to couple to a surface of a patient at a preliminary port location for a robotic arm. The member can be coupled to the base and can comprise a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The at least one tracking element can be coupled to the member and can be configured to allow tracking of the member relative to the preliminary port location.

Abstract: Several solutions are described for making it easier to move a surgical robotics patient table, either from rest or to turn it. The table has a base, a support, and a table top on which the patient is supported. A number of casters are mounted to a body of the base. In one case, controllable jacks lift the body to release the casters thereby allowing them to swivel to a desired orientation. In another case, a drive assembly is rotatably coupled to the body of the base and includes an electric drive motor and a drive wheel to drive the table across the floor. Other aspects are also described and claimed.

Abstract: An endoscope system capable of automatically turning on/off a light source during a surgical procedure is disclosed. This endoscope system includes: an endoscope module; a light source module coupled to the endoscope module; and a light-source control module. Moreover, the light-source control module controls an ON/OFF state of the light source by: (1) receiving real-time video images captured by the endoscope module; (2) processing the real-time video images to determine whether the endoscope module is inserted into a patient's body or is outside of the patient's body; and (3) in response to determining the endoscope module being outside of the patient's body while the light source is turned on, generating a control signal to immediately turn off the light source to the endoscope module, thereby ensuring safety of people in the operating room and preventing sensitive information in the operating room from being captured by the endoscope module.

Abstract: A surgical robotic system has a surgical robotic arm, and a programmed processor that determines a longest principal axis of a velocity ellipsoid for a first configuration of the arm, applies a maximum task space velocity (that is in the direction of the longest principal axis) to an inverse kinematics equation which computes a potential joint space velocity, computes a ratio of i) the potential joint space velocity and ii) a joint space velocity limit of the arm, and applies the ratio to an initial joint space velocity, to produce a regulated joint space velocity. Other aspects are also described and claimed.

Abstract: A surgical robotic system has a tool drive coupled to a distal end of a robotic arm that has a plurality of actuators. The tool drive has a docking interface to receive a trocar. The system also includes one or more sensors that are operable to visually sense a surface feature of the trocar. One or more processors determine a position and orientation of the trocar, based on the visually sensed surface feature. In response, the processor controls the actuators to orient the docking interface to the determined orientation of the trocar and to guide the robotic arm toward the determined position of the trocar. Other aspects are also described and claimed.

Abstract: Errors in a blended stream that would result in non-display or obscuring of a live video stream from a medical device may be automatically detected, and a failover stream corresponding to the first live video stream may be displayed to medical personnel. For example, one or more second input streams that are being blended may contain no data or invalid data which may result in the blended stream not displaying (or obscuring) the live video stream (if the blended were displayed). Switching from blending to a failover buffer may occur within the time to process a single video image frame. Upon detection (prior to display) that the blended stream would not display the live video stream, display of the live video stream from the failover buffer may be initiated. Other aspects are also described and claimed.

Abstract: A method of determining a location of a user input device of a surgical robotic system within a surgical workspace using a virtual workspace including determining, by one or more processors communicatively coupled to a user input device, that a user is engaging with the user input device within a surgical workspace; in response to determining the user is engaging with the user input device, displaying a virtual user input device within a first virtual workspace boundary, wherein at least a portion of the first virtual workspace boundary is operable to move in response to a movement of the user input device; displaying a second virtual workspace boundary that represents a second workspace limit beyond which the user input device is inoperable to control the surgical robotic instrument in the teleoperation mode; and determining a location of the user input device within the surgical workspace.

Abstract: A method for engaging and disengaging a surgical instrument of a surgical robotic system including receiving a sequence of user inputs from one or more user interface devices of the surgical robotic system; determining, by one or more processors communicatively coupled to the user interface devices and the surgical instrument, whether the sequence of user inputs indicates an intentional engagement or disengagement of a teleoperation mode in which the surgical instrument is controlled by user inputs received from the user interface devices; in response to determining of engagement, transition the surgical robotic system into the teleoperation mode; and in response to determining of disengagement, transition the surgical robotic system out of the teleoperation mode such that the user interface devices are prevented from controlling the surgical instrument.

Abstract: A virtual operating room (OR) is generated that includes virtual surgical equipment based on existing OR models and existing equipment models. Sensor feedback is received that defines a physical OR having physical equipment, the physical equipment including a surgical robotic system within the physical OR. The virtual OR and the virtual surgical equipment is updated based on the sensor feedback. A layout of the virtual surgical equipment is optimized in the virtual OR. The virtual OR and the virtual surgical equipment are rendered on a display.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein provide various examples of a surgical video analysis system for segmenting surgical videos of a given surgical procedure into shorter video segments and labeling/tagging these video segments with multiple categories of machine learning descriptors. In one aspect, a process for processing surgical videos recorded during performed surgeries of a surgical procedure includes the steps of: receiving a diverse set of surgical videos associated with the surgical procedure; receiving a set of predefined phases for the surgical procedure and a set of machine learning descriptors identified for each predefined phase in the set of predefined phases; for each received surgical video, segmenting the surgical video into a set of video segments based on the set of predefined phases and for each segment of the surgical video of a given predefined phase, annotating the video segment with a corresponding set of machine learning descriptors for the given predefined phase.

Abstract: A surgical robotic system comprising: a surgical robotic arm having a plurality of robotic arm links and a plurality of joints operable to move according to multiple degrees of freedom; a proximity sensor coupled to the surgical robotic arm, the proximity sensor comprising a plurality of sensing pads operable to detect a movement of a nearby controlling object prior to contact with the surgical robotic arm; and a processor configured to determine a desired position of the surgical robotic arm based on the detected movement of the nearby controlling object and drive a movement of more than one of the plurality of robotic arm links or the plurality of joints to achieve the desired position of the surgical robotic arm.

Abstract: A sequence of input samples that are measures of position or orientation of an input device being held by a user are received. A current output sample of a state of linear quadratic estimator, LQE, is computed that is an estimate of the position or orientation of the input device. The current output sample is computed based on i) a previously computed output sample, and ii) a velocity term. An updated output sample of the state of the LQE is computed, based on i) a previously computed output sample, and ii) a new input sample. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: Embodiments described herein provide a surgical duration estimation system for continuously predicting real-time remaining surgical duration (RSD) of a live surgical session of a given surgical procedure based on a real-time endoscope video of the live surgical session. In one aspect, the process receives a current frame of the endoscope video at a current time of the live surgical session, wherein the current time is among a sequence of prediction time points for making continuous RSD predictions during the live surgical session. The process next randomly samples N?1 additional frames of the endoscope video corresponding to the elapsed portion of the live surgical session between the beginning of the endoscope video corresponding to the beginning of the live surgical session and the current frame corresponding to the current time. The process then combines the N?1 randomly sampled frames and the current frame in the temporal order to obtain a set of N frames.