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Robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery, such as the da Vinci Surgical System, has a problem in that surgeons might continue operating for a long period of time without realizing their fatigue and without proper concentration, or they might ignore their fatigue even when they notice it. We propose a method for quantitatively estimating the level fatigue by attaching wearable sensors to a doctor while using a surgical robot. In this study, several sensor configurations were tested to investigate the sensor configuration, which is easy for the surgeon to wear. In an evaluation experiment, doctors used a robotic surgery simulator for a long period of time, and the score calculated by the simulator was estimated as the fatigue level expressed by the surgeon. We discussed with doctors how the results of the fatigue estimation should be applied to the system design.

This paper reports experimental results on a surgical grasping forceps with a vibration actuator that enhances a tactile perception ability. A short-time exposure of tactile receptors to sub-sensory white-noise vibration is known to improve perception ability. This phenomenon, called stochastic resonance (SR) in the somatosensory system, is expected to enhance the sense of touch when the weak vibration is applied to a fingertip, and thereby improve associated motor skills. A lead zirconate titanate (PZT) actuator was attached on the grip of surgical grasping forceps. A passive sensory test has been conducted for healthy subjects to confirm the efficacy of the device. Statistical significance has been observed when appropriate noise is applied. To investigate the effect of the noise intensity, a summing network of FitzHugh-Nagumo model neurons was built. The simulation results showed that a network with relatively large units can improve the detection capability of the input signal.

This institution developed the Hiroshima University Endoscopic Surgical Assessment Device (HUESAD). HUESAD is a reliable system for objectively assessing a surgeon's skill on the basis of the direction and movement of laparoscopic long instruments. Previous studies calculated the integrated deviation, the peak velocity and the approach time from the HUESAD. However, what these three dexterity parameters (the integrated deviation, the peak velocity, the approaching time) in the HUESAD represent concerning the surgeons' ability remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the three dexterity parameters in the HUESAD are associated with the surgeon's visual-spatial ability.