A comparison of onboard and offboard user interfaces for handheld robots

As surgical robotics are made progressively smaller, and their actuation systems simplified, the opportunity arises to re-evaluate how we integrate them into operating room workflows. Several research groups have shown that robots can be made so small and light that they can become hand-held tools. This hand-held paradigm enables robots to fit much more seamlessly into existing clinical workflows. In this paper, we compare an onboard user interface approach against the traditional offboard approach. In the latter, the surgeon positions the robot, and a support arm holds it in place while the surgeon operates the manipulators using the offboard surgeon console. The surgeon can move back and forth between the robot and the console as often as desired. Three experiments were conducted, and results show that the onboard interface enables statistically significantly faster performance in a point-touching task performed in a virtual reality environment.