easyEndo robotic endoscopy system: Development and usability test in a randomized controlled trial with novices and physicians

Abstract

Background Some difficulties are common when using endoscopes. Steering is not intuitive, the endoscope weight is a physical burden to physicians and communication problems often occur between operators. Method To overcome these, we developed a robotic endoscopy system and conducted a usability test to compare conventional and robotic manipulation. Nine novices and eighteen physicians participated with the physicians being divided into intermediate and expert groups. The participants performed endoscope insertion into a simulator (physicians) or lesion marking on a testbed (novices) and simulate biopsies. Result Novices completed the tasks faster and with a lower workload when using robotic manipulation, whereas the experts showed the opposite trend. Still, the intermediates showed no significant difference as trials proceeded. Nevertheless, the learning curve analysis showed that the learning rate in all groups is greater for robotic manipulation (21.02% on average) than for conventional manipulation (13.75%) and predicted that physicians can reach manual performance. Conclusion The proposed robotic endoscopy system may allow solo‐manipulation using one controller and may be more intuitive and convenient to use than conventional manipulation.

Robot-assisted flexible ureterorenoscopy: state of the art in 2022

“…The novices completed the tasks more quickly and with a lower workload when using robotic manipulation, whereas the experts showed the opposite trend. The learning rate in all groups was greater for robotic manipulation (21.02% on average) than for conventional manipulation (13.75%) [32,33] .…”

“…This robotic catheter system was modified and equipped with a fiber endoscope and a customized ureteral catheter to perform ureteroscopy with the commercial master device Omega 3 (Force Dimension, Switzerland), although the existing drawbacks of inappropriate control mode and inadequate working range partially contributed to the termination and eventual failure of this project [22,26,27] . Kwon et al [32,33] 2022 easyEndo robotic endoscopy system (EasyUretero) Phantom None…”

A Robotic System for Solo Surgery in Flexible Ureterorenoscopy

“…provides an actuation of the colonoscope's bending and rotation DoFs and the EE's translation and rotation DoFs via a single custom controller. The endoscope handle with the surrounding actuation unit is attached to two passive positioning arms [22].…”

Intuitive master device for endoscopic robots with visual‐motor correspondence

“…If the mapping among them is not aligned or the control direction is not compatible, the inconsistency between visual perception and movement control makes it difficult to accurately manipulate the tool 2–7 . In the case of the flexible endoscope, the compatibility between the control direction of the control handle and the image is poor (Figure 1), resulting in poor operability 8–10 …”