Abstract: A method of conducting abdominal surgery in a surgical zone. The method includes creating an incision at a sub-Pfannenstiel region of the abdomen. A mechanical limb is inserted into a body of a subject through the incision, where the mechanical limb comprises a linear portion, at least part of which extends outside the body, and a tool coupled to a distal end of the mechanical limb. The mechanical limb is manipulated within the body so that the tool contacts the abdominal target site. The manipulating of the mechanical limb does not affect any portion of the mechanical limb disposed outside the body of the subject. Using the tool, the abdominal surgery is conducted within the surgical zone.

Abstract: A displacement sensor based on the underlying principle that when the outer surface of a quartz fiber (fiber optic cable) is etched to form a series of regularly spaced lines (a Fiber Bragg grating), laser light of a wavelength matching the spacing of the lines which enters one end of the fiber will be preferentially reflected. If the fiber is deformed, causing the line spacing to change, the wavelength of the reflected light will also change. This shift can be accurately measured and so can be related to the magnitude of the deformation of the fiber. This fiber is potted with epoxy resin in a narrow tube fabricated from a shape-memory alloy (SMA), and pre-formed into a curved shape. This not only protects the quartz fiber from direct contact with other objects and excessive bending, but also causes it to deform in a predictable fashion, thereby generating a reproducible response to displacement.

Abstract: A displacement sensor based on the underlying principle that when the outer surface of a quartz fiber (fiber optic cable) is etched to form a series of regularly spaced lines (a Fiber Bragg grating), laser light of a wavelength matching the spacing of the lines which enters one end of the fiber will be preferentially reflected. If the fiber is deformed, causing the line spacing to change, the wavelength of the reflected light will also change. This shift can be accurately measured and so can be related to the magnitude of the deformation of the fiber. This fiber is potted with epoxy resin in a narrow tube fabricated from a shape-memory alloy (SMA), and pre-formed into a curved shape. This not only protects the quartz fiber from direct contact with other objects and excessive bending, but also causes it to deform in a predictable fashion, thereby generating a reproducible response to displacement.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for analyzing surgical techniques using a computer system for gathering and analyzing surgical data acquired during a surgical procedure on a body portion and comparing that data to pre-selected target values for the particular surgical procedure. The inventive method allows the surgeon, for example, to measure the technical success of a surgical procedure in terms of quantifiable geometric, spatial, kinematic or kinetic parameters. The method comprises calculation of these parameters from data collected during a surgical procedure and then comparing these results with values of the same parameters derived from target values defined by the surgeon, surgical convention, or computer simulation of the same procedure prior to the operation itself.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for analyzing surgical techniques using a computer system for gathering and analyzing surgical data acquired during a surgical procedure on a body portion and comparing that data to pre-selected target values for the particular surgical procedure. The inventive method allows the surgeon, for example, to measure the technical success of a surgical procedure in terms of quantifiable geometric, spatial, kinematic or kinetic parameters. The method comprises calculation of these parameters from data collected during a surgical procedure and then comparing these results with values of the same parameters derived from target values defined by the surgeon, surgical convention, or computer simulation of the same procedure prior to the operation itself.