Affiliations: Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia and Technical University of Catalonia, Baldiri Reixac, 08028 Barcelona, Spain | Department of Automatic Control, Technical University of Catalonia, Edifici Omega, Jordi Girona, 1-3, Barcelona, Spain | Orthopedic Department at Hospital del Mar, IMAS, Passeig Maritim, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
Abstract: Robotics has shown its potential not only in assisting the surgeon during an intervention but also as a tool for training and for surgical procedure's evaluation. Thus, robotics can constitute an extension of simulators that are based on the high capabilities of computer graphics. In addition, haptics has taken a first step in increasing the performance of current virtual reality systems based uniquely on computer simulation and their corresponding interface devices. As a further step in the field of training and learning in surgery, this work describes a robotic experimental workstation composed of robots and specific measuring devices, together with their corresponding control and monitoring strategies for orthopaedic surgery. Through a case study, humerus arthroplasty, experimental evaluation shows the possibilities of having a test bed available for repetitive and quantifiable trials, which make a reliable scientific comparison between different surgical strategies possible.
Keywords: surgical robotics, training robotics, optimisation of surgical procedures, surgical techniques evaluation
