Implicit gaze-assisted adaptive motion scaling for highly articulated instrument manipulation

Abstract

Abstract-Traditional robotic surgical systems rely entirely on robotic arms to triangulate articulated instruments inside the human anatomy. This configuration can be ill-suited for working in tight spaces or during single access approaches, where little to no triangulation between the instrument shafts is possible. The control of these instruments is further obstructed by ergonomic issues: The presence of motion scaling imposes the use of clutching mechanics to avoid the workspace limitations of master devices, and forces the user to choose between slow, precise movements, or fast, less accurate ones. This paper presents a bi-manual system using novel self-triangulating 6-degrees-of-freedom (DoF) tools through a flexible elbow, which are mounted on robotic arms. The control scheme for the resulting 9-DoF system is detailed, with particular emphasis placed on retaining maximum dexterity close to joint limits. Furthermore, this paper introduces the concept of gaze-assisted adaptive motion scaling. By combining eye tracking with hand motion and instrument information, the system is capable of inferring the user's destination and modifying the motion scaling accordingly. This safe, novel approach allows the user to quickly reach distant locations while retaining full precision for delicate manoeuvres. The performance and usability of this adaptive motion scaling is evaluated in a user study, showing a clear improvement in task completion speed and in the reduction of the need for clutching.

Gaze-Assisted Adaptive Motion Scaling Optimization Using Graded and Preference Based Bayesian Approaches

“…Additionally, a Tobii Pro X2-60 eye tracker (Tobii AB, Sweden) is used to record gaze data. The few differences relative to the system presented in [1] consist in improvements shown in Fig 2. A supporting structure was added at the bottom of the instrument casing to provide a secure coupling between the instrument and the actuation unit. The adapter to the Kuka robotic arm was redesigned for additional strength.…”

“…The presented system is nearly identical to the one presented in [1], allowing for a direct comparison of the manually optimized parameters against the ones obtained from the Bayesian optimization process. The system, shown in Fig.…”

“…In previous work [1], the authors developed a gaze assisted adaptive motion scaling algorithm to reduce the need for clutching. This bi-manual master-slave system uses gaze data from an eye-tracker, hand motion information from the master input devices, and the position of the instruments obtained using computer vision to infer the user's intention.…”

A Self-Adaptive Motion Scaling Framework for Surgical Robot Remote Control

“…A gaze-assisted intention recognition scheme has been proposed [6] to achieve adaptive motion scaling. Eye-tracking in conjunction with other sensing modalities is employed to infer the intended position that the operator is trying to reach so that the motion scaling ratio can be changed accordingly.…”

“…Eye-tracking in conjunction with other sensing modalities is employed to infer the intended position that the operator is trying to reach so that the motion scaling ratio can be changed accordingly. The information is then used to modulate the motion scaling ratio, which enables the operator to reach distant targets more quickly [6]. It is worth noting that adaptive motion scaling with eye tracking is still difficult to be fully integrated to general surgical systems and the effectiveness of gaze-assisted intention recognition can be problematic when operators wear glasses.…”