Abstract: An apparatus includes a reference fixture. The reference fixture includes a joint, and a joint tracker to track motion of the joint. The apparatus also includes a surgical instrument. A tether is connected between the joint and the surgical instrument. A shape sensor extends from the reference fixture through the joint, through the tether, and into the surgical instrument. The shape sensor is substantially free of twist. The joint tracker measures the motion of the joint. Information from the shape sensor in combination with information from the joint tracker provides absolute three-dimensional information relative to the reference fixture, i.e., provides absolute three-dimensional information in a fixed world reference frame.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a reference fixture. The reference fixture includes a joint, and a joint tracker to track motion of the joint. The apparatus also includes a surgical instrument. A tether is connected between the joint and the surgical instrument. A shape sensor extends from the reference fixture through the joint, through the tether, and into the surgical instrument. The shape sensor is substantially free of twist. The joint tracker measures the motion of the joint. Information from the shape sensor in combination with information from the joint tracker provides absolute three-dimensional information relative to the reference fixture, i.e., provides absolute three-dimensional information in a fixed world reference frame.

Abstract: In a coupled control mode, the surgeon directly controls movement of an associated slave manipulator with an input device while indirectly controlling movement of one or more non-associated slave manipulators, in response to commanded motion of the directly controlled slave manipulator, to achieve a secondary objective. By automatically performing secondary tasks through coupled control modes, the system's usability is enhanced by reducing the surgeon's need to switch to another direct mode to manually achieve the desired secondary objective. Thus, coupled control modes allow the surgeon to better focus on performing medical procedures and to pay less attention to managing the system.

Abstract: A medical device used in a medical robotic system has a conduit and an orientable tip. An optical fiber coupled to a laser source and/or a catheter coupled to one or more biomaterial sources extends through the conduit and tip so that the tip of the medical device may be robotically directed towards a target tissue for laser and/or biomaterial application as part of a medical procedure performed at a surgical site within a patient. A protective sheath covers the fiber as it extends through the conduit and tip. A first coupler adjustably secures at least the sheath to the medical device and a second coupler adjustably secures the fiber to at least the sheath. A similar dual coupler mechanism may be used to secure the sheathed catheter to the medical device.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a reference fixture. The reference fixture includes a joint, and a joint tracker to track motion of the joint. The apparatus also includes a surgical instrument. A tether is connected between the joint and the surgical instrument. A shape sensor extends from the reference fixture through the joint, through the tether, and into the surgical instrument. The shape sensor is substantially free of twist. The joint tracker measures the motion of the joint. Information from the shape sensor in combination with information from the joint tracker provides absolute three-dimensional information relative to the reference fixture, i.e., provides absolute three-dimensional information in a fixed world reference frame.

Abstract: A medical device used in a medical robotic system has a conduit and an orientable tip. An optical fiber coupled to a laser source and/or a catheter coupled to one or more biomaterial sources extends through the conduit and tip so that the tip of the medical device may be robotically directed towards a target tissue for laser and/or biomaterial application as part of a medical procedure performed at a surgical site within a patient. A protective sheath covers the fiber as it extends through the conduit and tip. A first coupler adjustably secures at least the sheath to the medical device and a second coupler adjustably secures the fiber to at least the sheath. A similar dual coupler mechanism may be used to secure the sheathed catheter to the medical device.

Abstract: Robotic and/or measurement devices, systems, and methods for telesurgical and other applications employ input devices operatively coupled to tools so as to allow a system user to manipulate tissues and other structures being measured. The system may make use of three dimensional position information from stereoscopic images. Two or more discrete points can be designated in three dimensions so as to provide a cumulative length along a straight or curving structure, an area measurement, a volume measurement, or the like. The discrete points may be identified by a single surgical tool or by distances separating two or more surgical tools, with the user optionally measuring a structure longer than a field of view of the stereoscopic image capture device by walking a pair of tools “hand-over-hand” along the structure.

Abstract: The distal end of a surgical instrument is movable in all six Cartesian degrees of freedom independently of other components of a telemanipulated surgical system. The surgical instrument extends through a guide tube. The distal end is moved by actuators that are telemanipulatively controlled.

Abstract: The distal end of a surgical instrument is movable in all six Cartesian degrees of freedom independently of other components of a telemanipulated surgical system. The surgical instrument extends trough a guide tube. The distal end is moved by actuators that are telemanipulatively controlled.

Abstract: A medical device used in a medical robotic system has a conduit and an orientable tip. An optical fiber coupled to a laser source and/or a catheter coupled to one or more biomaterial sources extends through the conduit and tip so that the tip of the medical device may be robotically directed towards a target tissue for laser and/or biomaterial application as part of a medical procedure performed at a surgical site within a patient. A protective sheath covers the fiber as it extends through the conduit and tip. A first coupler adjustably secures at least the sheath to the medical device and a second coupler adjustably secures the fiber to at least the sheath. A similar dual coupler mechanism may be used to secure the sheathed catheter to the medical device.

Abstract: A medical device used in a medical robotic system has a conduit and an orientable tip. An optical fiber coupled to a laser source and/or a catheter coupled to one or more biomaterial sources extends through the conduit and tip so that the tip of the medical device may be robotically directed towards a target tissue for laser and/or biomaterial application as part of a medical procedure performed at a surgical site within a patient. A protective sheath covers the fiber as it extends through the conduit and tip. A first coupler adjustably secures at least the sheath to the medical device and a second coupler adjustably secures the fiber to at least the sheath. A similar dual coupler mechanism may be used to secure the sheathed catheter to the medical device.

Abstract: An apparatus is configured to show telestration in 3-D to a surgeon in real time. A proctor is shown one side of a stereo image pair, such that the proctor can draw a telestration line on the one side with an input device. Points of interest are identified for matching to the other side of the stereo image pair. In response to the identified points of interest, regions and features are identified and used to match the points of interest to the other side. Regions can be used to match the points of interest. Features of the first image can be matched to the second image and used to match the points of interest to the second image, for example when the confidence scores for the regions are below a threshold value. Constraints can be used to evaluate the matched points of interest, for example by excluding bad points.

Abstract: An apparatus is configured to show telestration in 3-D to a surgeon in real time. A proctor is shown one side of a stereo image pair, such that the proctor can draw a telestration line on the one side with an input device. Points of interest are identified for matching to the other side of the stereo image pair. In response to the identified points of interest, regions and features are identified and used to match the points of interest to the other side. Regions can be used to match the points of interest. Features of the first image can be matched to the second image and used to match the points of interest to the second image, for example when the confidence scores for the regions are below a threshold value. Constraints can be used to evaluate the matched points of interest, for example by excluding bad points.

Abstract: An endoscope with a stereoscopic optical channel is held and positioned by a robotic surgical system. A first capture unit captures: a visible first color component of a visible left image combined with a fluorescence left image from first light from one channel in the endoscope; a visible second color component of the visible left image from the first light; and a visible third color component of the visible left image from the first light. A second capture unit captures: a visible first color component of a visible right image combined with a fluorescence right image from second light from the other channel in the endoscope; a visible second color component of the visible right image from the second light; and a visible third color component of the visible right image from the second light. An augmented stereoscopic outputs a real-time stereoscopic image including a three-dimensional presentation including the visible left and right images and the fluorescence left and right images.

Abstract: In a coupled control mode, the surgeon directly controls movement of an associated slave manipulator with an input device while indirectly controlling movement of one or more non-associated slave manipulators, in response to commanded motion of the directly controlled slave manipulator, to achieve a secondary objective. By automatically performing secondary tasks through coupled control modes, the system's usability is enhanced by reducing the surgeon's need to switch to another direct mode to manually achieve the desired secondary objective. Thus, coupled control modes allow the surgeon to better focus on performing medical procedures and to pay less attention to managing the system.

Abstract: A single port entry surgical instrument has an elongated structure with lumens through which surgical tools and an image capturing device may be inserted and controllably extended out of its distal end for performing a medical procedure, a tubular-shaped balloon disposed around the elongated structure, and an expandable retractor disposed around the balloon so that when the balloon is inflated, the retractor expands and locks in an expanded configuration to retract extraneous tissue. The port entry may be secured using the expandable retractor or sealed using another inflatable balloon disposed around the proximal end of the elongated structure and centered in the port entry.

Abstract: A telemanipulatively controlled guide tube acts as a wrist mechanism for a surgical instrument that extends through the guide tube. The instrument may be removed and replaced with another instrument. In some aspects the instruments are commercial, off the shelf minimally invasive surgical instruments.

Abstract: A local contrast enhancement method transforms a first plurality of color components of a first visual color image into a modified brightness component by using a first transformation. The first plurality of color components are in a first color space. The modified brightness component is a brightness component of a second color space. The second color space also includes a plurality of chromatic components. The method transforms all the color components of the first color space into the chromatic components of the second color space. The method then transforms the modified brightness component and the chromatic components of the second color space into a plurality of new color components, in the first color space, of a second visual color image. The method transmits the plurality of new color components to a device such as a display device. The second visual color image has enhanced contrast in comparison to the first visual color image.

Abstract: A stereo imaging system comprises a stereoscopic camera having left and right image capturing elements for capturing stereo images; a stereo viewer; and a processor configured to modify the stereo images prior to being displayed on the stereo viewer so that a disparity between corresponding points of the stereo images is adjusted as a function of a depth value within a region of interest in the stereo images after the depth value reaches a target depth value.

Abstract: An operator telerobotically controls tools to perform a procedure on an object at a work site while viewing real-time images of the work site on a display. Tool information is provided in the operator's current gaze area on the display by rendering the tool information over the tool so as not to obscure objects being worked on at the time by the tool nor to require eyes of the user to refocus when looking at the tool information and the image of the tool on a stereo viewer.