Gaze contingent articulated robot control for robot assisted minimally invasive surgery

This paper introduces a novel technique for controlling an articulated robotic device through the eyes of the surgeon during minimally invasive surgery. The system consists of a binocular eye-tracking unit and a robotic instrument featuring a long, rigid shaft with an articulated distal tip for minimally invasive interventions. They have been integrated into a daVinci surgical robot to provide a seamless and non-invasive localization of eye fixations of the surgeon. By using a gaze contingent framework, the surgeonpsilas fixations in 3D are converted into commands that direct the robotic probe to the desired location. Experimental results illustrate the ability of the system to perform real-time gaze contingent robot control and opens up a new avenue for improving current human-robot interfaces.