We have taken up the challenge of integrating telemanipulation technology and autonomous system technology. We are seeking methods for integration at a fundamental rather than an ad-hoc level. We believe that success in this effort can open up new space and defense applications now beyond reach of either technology alone. In our presentation at this symposium, we introduce a series of concepts ...

The preferred treatment of femoral (thigh bone) shaft fractures nowadays is the minimally invasive technique of intramedullary nailing. However, in addition to its advantages, this technique also has a number of disadvantages, such as the frequent occurrence of malaligned fracture reductions and high X-ray exposure, especially to the operating team. The aim of our research is to overcome these ...

The mitral valve has been traditionally approached through a median sternotomy. However, significant advances in surgical optics, instrumentation, tissue telemanipulation, and perfusion technology have allowed for mitral valve surgery to be performed using progressively smaller incisions including the minithoracotomy and hemisternotomy. Due to reports of excellent results, minimally invasive mi...

The mitral valve has been traditionally approached through a median sternotomy. However, significant advances in surgical optics, instrumentation, tissue telemanipulation, and perfusion technology have allowed for mitral valve surgery to be performed using progressively smaller incisions including the minithoracotomy and hemisternotomy. Due to reports of excellent results, minimally invasive mi...

Since the early middle of last century, use of artificial robotic hands in the field of rehabilitation has been associated with prosthetic devices used for the therapy of upper limb deficiency. Artificial manipulators of the last century were used in general for industrial applications or for service tasks of telemanipulation. In the last three decades, service robotics developed very rapidly. ...

PRINCIPLES The recently introduced robotic surgical systems were developed to overcome the limitations of conventional minimally invasive surgery. We analyse the impact of the da Vinci robotic system on general surgery. METHODS The da Vinci operating robot is a telemanipulation system consisting of a surgical arm cart, a master console and a conventional monitor cart. Since its purchase in Ju...

This paper provides a sufficient framework to synthesize l-stable networks in which the controller and plant can be subject to delays and data dropouts. This framework can be applied to control systems which use “soft-real-time” cooperative schedulers as well as those which use wired and wireless network feedback. The framework applies to plants and controllers which are passive, therefore thes...

BACKGROUND According to several studies, women are at higher risk for mortality and experience less relief of angina after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) than men. Sex-related differences in patients undergoing totally endoscopic coronary bypass grafting (TECABG) have not been investigated thus far. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of sex on the outcome of pa...

BACKGROUND Suturing of a coronary anastomosis in totally endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting on the beating heart is technically demanding. The potential benefits of the endoscopic Magnetic Vascular Positioner device (Ventrica, Inc, Fremont, Calif) to facilitate construction of a coronary anastomosis in a closed chest environment were evaluated. METHODS Totally endoscopic coronary arte...

Telepresence or virtual presence has became more and more commonplace thanks to evolutionof technology which implies an opening to the telework capacities. Telework is essentially linkedto virtuality and telepresence and consequently linked to robotics and computing as well ascommunications. This work deals with the methods and the tools necessary to the achievementof a tele...