Communication of detected grasping forces in a surgical robotic platform
A system and method for displaying tissue information on a display screen includes a camera capturing an image of an anatomical working site including a surgical instrument, and a display displaying the image. A tissue information detection device determines information about the health, pathology etc. of tissue in contact with a surgical instrument, or about an interaction between the surgical instrument and the tissue. The system renders overlays depicting the tissue information with the image on the display.
1 . A method for augmenting an image displayed to a user during a surgical procedure, comprising:
positioning an endoscopic camera within a body cavity;
positioning a surgical instrument at an anatomical site within the body cavity;
using a robotic manipulator, robotically maneuvering the surgical instrument within the body cavity towards tissue in the body cavity;
grasping the tissue at the anatomical site using jaws of the surgical instrument and determining grasping forces imparted to the tissue by the surgical instrument;
capturing real time video images of the anatomical site using the endoscopic camera and displaying the real time video images on a display in real time, wherein said real time video images include real time video images showing the jaws of the surgical instrument with the tissue between said jaws;
displaying graphical indicia as overlays on the real time video displayed in real time, the displayed graphical indicia representing a degree of the grasping forces.
2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein said real time video images include real time video images showing the surgical instrument within the working site, and the indicia includes a graphical marking overlaying the displayed image of the surgical instrument.
3 . The method according to claim 2 , where the graphical marking includes color shading or a pattern on at least a portion of the displayed image of the surgical instrument.
4 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the surgical instrument has jaws and the graphical marking is displayed on the image of the jaws of the surgical instrument.
5 . The method of claim 1 , further including applying computer vision to the image to detect edges of the surgical instrument within the body cavity.
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining forces includes determining the forces using input from a Fabry-Perot interferometer.
7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining forces includes determining the forces using input from a Fiber-Bragg grating.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining forces includes determining the forces using input from a strain gauge.
9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining forces includes determining the forces using input from a load cell.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining forces includes determining the forces using input from a force sensor within the robotic manipulator.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining forces includes determining the forces using input from a force sensor on the surgical instrument.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the surgical instrument includes jaws and the method includes grasping tissue using the surgical instrument using the jaws.
13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the indicia is a graphical overlay having a color that changes along a color spectrum as the force increases or decreases.
14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the indicia is a graphical overlay has a first color when the force is below a predetermined force threshold and a second color when the force is above the predetermined force threshold.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the graphical overlay has a third color when the force is above a second predetermined force threshold, the second predetermined force threshold being higher than the first predetermined force threshold.
16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the indicia is a graphical overlay having a size that increases as the force increases and that decreases as the force decreases.