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Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has been an essential tool in the surgical sector for many years due to its crucial advantages compared to open surgery. To overcome remaining limitations, teleoperated MIS experienced a strong emergence. However, the widespread usage of such systems is hindered by the enormous financial hurdle. The use of standard components and conventional tools for teleoperated MIS can facilitate integration into existing hospital workflows and can be a cost-efficient and versatile approach for research purposes. To compensate for the lack of haptic feedback, some teleoperation setups inherit a sensor system allowing them to record interaction forces and display them at the user interface. In research and in commercially available systems, different positions for the sensor can be found. In this paper, mechanical interfaces for the guidance and actuation of non-wristed and wristed standard instruments are presented. Furthermore, a method for the extracorporeal measurement of interaction forces is presented, characterized, and discussed. The overall mean relative error of the magnitude of the interaction force is 9.4%, while the overall mean absolute error of the force vector is 14.4 $^{\circ }$ , both below the respective human differential perception threshold. The presented measurement method is a simple, yet sufficiently accurate approach to measure interaction forces in surgical telemanipulation.

In conventional laparoscopy, the field of view of the surgeon is limited. Angled laparoscopes enable the observation of surrounding structures, however, to change the viewing perspective on a specific object, permanent repositioning and rotation of the shaft is required. In this paper, a demonstrator of a steerable flexible laparoscope is presented, enabling the user to intuitively adjust the perspective onto an object by means of a single control element. The laparoscope provides a viewing angle of ± 50° at 50 mm working distance. In first tests, the presented laparoscope showed advantages regarding intuitiveness of the control, easier handling, and improved depth perception.

During laparoscopic procedures, the surgeon's view of the situs, and thus her or his performance, is dependent on the skills of the camera assistant. The surgeon lacks control over his own field of view and there is a high potential for reducing mental load and workflow issues. In this paper, a research setup of a 360° laparoscopic imaging system is presented and evaluated. The system consists of a 360° camera and a head-mounted display, through which the surgeon can inspect the situs. In a user test, the system showed advantages over a conventional laparoscope regarding orientation in the situs, intuitiveness of operation, and faster task completion.

A twisted string actuator (TSA) is a small, strong, lightweight, and low-cost gear, transforming rotation into a linear pulling movement. The TSA consists of two or more strings that are twisted along their common longitudinal axis. The helix formed in this process becomes shorter the further the bundle is twisted. A possible application is a tendon-based endoscopic robot. To control the movement of the endoscope, a precise contraction of the tendon is necessary. Since the strings of the TSA show an elastic behaviour, position feedback is needed to determine the exact movement of the TSA. In this paper, a TSA with a closed-loop position control by a low-cost displacement sensor is presented.

Microscopy is an essential tool in research and science. However, it is relatively resource consuming regarding cost, time of usage, and consumable supplies. Current low-cost approaches provide good imaging quality but struggle in terms of versatility or applicability to varying setups. In this paper, a Compact Microscope Module for versatile application in custom-made setups or research projects is presented. As a first application and proof of concept, the use of the module in a High-Throughput Microscope for screening of samples in microtiter plates is shown. The Compact Microscope Module allows for simple and resource-efficient microscopy in various applications while still enabling relatively good imaging qualities.

Microscopy enables fast and effective diagnostics. However, in resource-limited regions microscopy is not accessible to everyone. Smartphone-based low-cost microscopes could be a powerful tool for diagnostic and educational purposes. In this paper, the imaging quality of a smartphone-based microscope with four different optical parameters is presented and a systematic overview of the resulting diagnostic applications is given. With the chosen configuration, aiming for a reasonable trade-off, an average resolution of 1.23 μm and a field of view of 1.12 mm2 was achieved. This enables a wide range of diagnostic applications such as the diagnosis of Malaria and other parasitic diseases.

Access to systems for robot-assisted surgery is limited due to high costs. To enable widespread use, numerous issues have to be addressed to improve and/or simplify their components. Current systems commonly use universal linkage-based input devices, and only a few applicationoriented and specialized designs are used. A versatile virtual reality controller is proposed as an alternative input device for the control of a seven degree of freedom articulated robotic arm. The real-time capabilities of the setup, replicating a system for robot-assisted teleoperated surgery, are investigated to assess suitability. Image-based assessment showed a considerable system latency of 81.7 ± 27.7 ms. However, due to its versatility, the virtual reality controller is a promising alternative to current input devices for research around medical telemanipulation systems.

Robotic assistance in surgical interventions has been shown to improve both the surgical outcome and the surgeon’s performance. However, cost-efficient implementation of such systems in an operating room workflow is not yet resolved. Most of the current approaches use highly specialized and purpose-built robotic components, resulting in large costs. This paper presents an investigation into the usage of off-the-shelf robots as cost-efficient basis for teleoperated surgery. In addition, the modifications required of the robot and/or operating environment to make it suitable for the medical setting are assessed. The considered systems are found via a literature search and the MERODA-database, specifically focusing on systems designed for teleoperated surgery which use industrial robots. Among the 126 telemanipulated systems found, only 10 use industrial robots for surgical procedures. Overall, due to the better availability, reduced costs, and increased performance, current industrial robots should be further considered for new and versatile lowcost approaches to teleoperated surgery.

Microscopy enables fast and effective diagnostics. However, its functionality is not accessible to everyone. Smartphone-based low-cost microscopes could be a powerful tool for diagnostics and educational purposes. Current smartphone-based microscopy approaches struggle with high cost, poor image quality and/or insufficient smartphone compatibility. In this paper, a very feasible and effective lowcost microscope is presented which addresses these issues. To minimize cost, a monolithic foldable structure is designed for production by injection molding. The design has a high order of functional integration, minimizing the number of components, while still enabling a micrometer focusing accuracy.

In developing countries airborne micro-organisms are one of the most common causes of surgical wound infection. In the operating room low-turbulence displacementflow has been shown to reduce the influence of airborne bacteria. However, due to complexity and cost, current systems are not accessible to all potential users. In this paper a low-cost ventilation system is presented that provides lowturbulence displacement-flow over a surgical operating environment. A stand-alone, simple to assemble, mobile airflow system was developed using the principle of speed compensation for laminar airflow. From visual inspection and measurements, the system was seen to generate a continuous downwards displacement of air over the protected area around the situs. The entire system can be assembled quickly with minimal standard tools, making it very suitable for mobile use, such as in disaster areas. Future work is required to achieve the vertical dimension of a laminar flow field required by the DIN 1946-4. Overall, the low-cost and simple system could provide many potential users access to the technology and thus improving hygiene conditions in their operating environment.