Soft tissue surgical robot for minimally invasive surgery: a review

• Published in: Biomedical engineering letters Vol. 13; no. 4; pp. 561 - 569
• Main Authors: Kim, Minhyo, Zhang, Youqiang, Jin, Sangrok
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea The Korean Society of Medical and Biological Engineering 01.11.2023; Springer Nature B.V; 대한의용생체공학회
• Subjects: Biological and Medical Physics; Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering; Biomedicine; Biophysics; Degrees of freedom; Engineering; Human engineering; Laparoscopy; Medical and Radiation Physics; Medical imaging; Patients; Remote control; Review; Review Article; Robotic surgery; Robots; Soft tissues; Stereoscopy; Surgery; Surgical instruments; User interfaces; 의공학; Single-port surgery; Laparoscopic surgery; Robot-assisted surgery; Endoluminal surgery; Surgical robot
• ISSN: 2093-9868; 2093-985X
• DOI: 10.1007/s13534-023-00326-3

Purpose The current state of soft tissue surgery robots is surveyed, and the key technologies underlying their success are analyzed. State-of-the-art technologies are introduced, and future directions are discussed. Methods Relevant literature is explored, analyzed, and summarized. Results Soft tissue surgical robots had rapidly spread in the field of laparoscopic surgery based on the multi-degree-of-freedom movement of intra-abdominal surgical tools and stereoscopic imaging that are not possible in conventional surgery. The three key technologies that have made surgical robots successful are wire-driven mechanisms for multi-degree-of-freedom movement, master devices for intuitive remote control, and stereoscopic imaging technology. Recently, human-robot interaction technologies have been applied to develop user interfaces such as vision assistance and haptic feedback, and research on autonomous surgery has begun. Conclusion Robotic surgery not only replaces conventional laparoscopic surgery but also allows for complex surgeries that are not possible with laparoscopic surgery. On the other hand, it is also criticized for its high cost and lack of clinical superiority or patient benefit compared to conventional laparoscopic surgery. As various robots compete in the market, the cost of surgical robots is expected to decrease. Surgical robots are expected to continue to evolve in the future due to the need to reduce the workload of medical staff and improve the level of care demanded by patients.