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. 2018 Jul:2018:3650-3655.
doi: 10.1109/EMBC.2018.8513255.

Real-Time Sclera Force Feedback for Enabling Safe Robot-Assisted Vitreoretinal Surgery

Ali Ebrahimi, Changyan He, Marina Roizenblatt, Niravkumar Patel, Shahriar Sefati, Peter Gehlbach, Iulian Iordachita

Real-Time Sclera Force Feedback for Enabling Safe Robot-Assisted Vitreoretinal Surgery

Ali Ebrahimi et al. Annu Int Conf IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2018 Jul.

Abstract

One of the major yet little recognized challenges in robotic vitreoretinal surgery is the matter of tool forces applied to the sclera. Tissue safety, coordinated tool use and interactions between tool tip and shaft forces are little studied. The introduction of robotic assist has further diminished the surgeon's ability to perceive scleral forces. Microsurgical tools capable of measuring such small forces integrated with robotmanipulators may therefore improve functionality and safety by providing sclera force feedback to the surgeon. In this paper, using a force-sensing tool, we have conducted robotassisted eye manipulation experiments to evaluate the utility of providing scleral force feedback. The work assesses 1) passive audio feedback and 2) active haptic feedback and evaluates the impact of these feedbacks on scleral forces in excess of aboundary. The results show that in presence of passive or active feedback, the duration of experiment increases, while the duration for which scleral forces exceed a safe threshold decreases.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Experimental setup showing: SHER, FBG interrogator for the force sensing tool, microscope for looking in to the eye phantom and speakers to provide the audio feedback.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Left figure is the dual tool with indicated FBG sensing zones and the right figure is a schematic of dual tool inside the eye
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Validation results for sclera force and insertion depth
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
Eye phantom with OD of 30 mm with colored vessels
Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.
Exponential gain for various starting points (Fstart)
Fig. 6.
Fig. 6.
Sclera force distribution vs time for 10 trials of the preliminary experiments of the expert surgeon (the dark blue curve shows the average value of all experiments and the red dots show the chosen upper limit for safe sclera force)
Fig. 7.
Fig. 7.
A trial for one set of all experiments done by one of the subjects in freehand experiments
Fig. 8.
Fig. 8.
A trial for one set of all experiments done by one of the subjects in robot-assisted experiments
Fig. 9.
Fig. 9.
Sclera force averaged over all 10 trials executed in each of 5 sets of experiments versus insertion depth for one of the subjects.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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