Abstract: In virtual reality, the position of a graphically-displayed object (1) in a three-dimensional view on a display device (3) of a graphics workstation is controlled by way of a human-machine interface, in which the hand (5) of an operator can displace and rotate an input medium in an arbitrary spatial direction. One or more stationary electronic cameras records or record one or more unique marking symbols (9) provided on the underside of a material, easy-to-handle model object (6) serving as an input medium, the underside facing the camera(s). The unique marking symbols (9) are evaluated with a computer according to image-processing methods such that the spatial position of the model object and the recognition thereof are the result of the evaluation. The result of the evaluation is transmitted to a graphics unit (graphics workstation, PC graphics).

Abstract: For tracking a mono- or stereo-laparoscope in connection with minimally invasive surgery, where the laparoscope is moved by a robot in respect to surgical instruments located in the operation area, surgical instruments are color-coded and are identified in images provided by the camera of the laparoscope. Signals for controlling the robot are derived from the position of the color-coded surgical instruments in images generated by both cameras. The robot automatically brings the laparoscope into such a position that the color-coded surgical instruments are continuously shown in the center area of the monitor device and hold the laparoscope distance to the surgical instrument in the case of stereo. To prevent interfering movements of an image when working with the surgical instruments, the laparoscope continuously tracks the color-coded surgical instruments in such a way that the tracking of the image is controlled relatively lightly in the central area of the monitor, but strongly in its edge area.

Abstract: There is provided a process and system for the memory-saving programming of he motional actions of a robot wherein a reference course is recorded first in the form of samples, which are then stored. For reducing the storage space, the recorded and stored samples are transformed into a Fourier matrix .sub.0 C by means of a Fourier analysis. Said matrix is then filed in a memory. From this Fourier matrix .sub.0 C, it is possible to derive Fourier matrices for courses with the same configuration, but with any desired position and orientation solely by a linear transformation of the coordinates in the form of a Fourier matrix .sub.1 C. With the help of the dynamical model of the robot used, the derived Fourier matrix .sub.1 C can be modified with adjustment to the desired speed, so as to compensate for the dynamical errors in the motional actions of the robot.