TELEPRESENCE TECHNOLOGY IN MEDICINE - PRINCIPLES AND APPLICATIONS

Telepresence systems call improve surgeons' performance in minimally i nvasive surgery (MIS) and microsurgery and also enable them to operate on patients remotely over great distances. In MIS, telepresence techn ology allows surgeons to experience surgery as if their hands and eyes were effectively inside the patient's closed abdomen, enabling them t o work with improved skill and dexterity. In microsurgery, the technol ogy can scale down the surgeons' motions, forces, and field of view, a llowing them to skillfully operate on microscopic anatomy with relativ e ease. Our systems also enable surgeons to treat patients remotely in inaccessible or hazardous locations with great effectiveness, allowin g them to operate as if they were present at the remote site. The mean s for conveying human presence in such systems is through force-reflec ting manipulators with digital servo controllers, stereo viewing syste ms, and communication links. Depending on the application, the surgeon at the telepresence workstation may be across the room from the patie nt or across the state, connected by a microwave link or communication network.