A master-slave haptic system for neurosurgery

In recent years, new surgical tools have been designed to improve treatment results and lower patient trauma. Nevertheless, the dexterity and accuracy required for the positioning of new tools are often unreachable, if surgeons are not assisted by suitable systems. Significant advantages are derived from the introduction of computer and robot technologies. For that reason, the interaction between robotic systems and surgeons today is producing new interest worldwide both in medical and engineering fields. In particular, medical robotics has found fruitful ground in neurosurgical applications, since the high functional density of the central nervous system requires strict accuracy constraints on tool positioning. As a matter of fact, the major benefits of robots, such as precision, accuracy and repeatability, make them ideal as neurosurgeons' assistants. This paper presents a master-slave haptic robotic system for minimally invasive neurosurgery, which can aid surgeons in performing safer and more accurate stereotactic neurosurgical treatments. The design of the proposed system is based on LANS (Linear Actuator for NeuroSurgery), which has been developed by our Research Group. Experimental test aimed at showing the added value of the DAANS system over its predecessor, the effectiveness of conformational caps and of the added rotational degree of freedom are scheduled for the upcoming months.