This paper describes the design of a controller for a tactile shape display for dexterous telemanipulation applications. This device consists of an array of pin elements which rest against the human finger tip. Shape memory alloy (SMA) wire actuators raise individual pins to approximate the desired surface shape on the skin. To overcome the slow response times of SMA actuators we have implement...

There has been recent interest in novel human-machine collaborative control laws, called “virtual fixtures,” which provide operator assistance for telemanipulation tasks. A forbidden-region virtual fixture is a constraint, implemented in software, that seeks to prevent the slave manipulator of a master/slave telemanipulation system from entering into a forbidden region of the workspace. In this...

Endoscopic surgery routinely produces video data. Automated understanding of these data has applications both online (visual servoing for telemanipulation) and offline (procedure analysis, annotation and content-based retrieval). As a step towards such applications, a method for tracking surgical instruments in endoscopic video without modifications to instruments or endoscopic equipment is des...

This paper presents a study on the application of virtual fixtures as a control aid for performing telemanipulation or in the training environment. The implementation features both manual and supervisory control modes. It also studies approaches for using virtual fixtures in generating visual and force clues and/or for restricting the motion of the slave using the definition of virtual fixtures...

We report a case of a 53-year-old female patient with isolated left main coronary artery stenosis in whom a completely endoscopic double coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedure was performed. The operation was carried out on the arrested heart. A right internal mammary artery graft was sutured to the left anterior descending artery using the daVinci telemanipulation system. The left in...

Applications of scaled telemanipulation into micro or nano world that shows many different features from directly human interfaced tools have been increased continuously. Here, we have to consider many aspects of scaling such as force, position, and impedance. For instance, what will be the possible range of force and position scaling with a specific level of performance and stability? This kno...

Recently, the interest in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is increasing due to the existence of diverse potential applications in civilian sector. These applications often require high level reasoning, which, in some cases, need specialist in the led. The step forward towards achieving constant interaction between the UAV and the human operator is to provide the pilot with the feel...