Special Issue: Medical Robotics and Human Interfaces

Abstract

Significant advances have been made in the field of medical robotics in recent decades. Spanning series and parallel robotic architectures, rigid and soft materials, and a variety of control approaches to move instruments to various areas in the patient's body, the potential for robotic applications in medicine remains vast. As the hardware, software, and control technologies underlying robotic solutions continue to mature and develop to be more clinically applicable with minimal risks, new robotic medical applications will continue to emerge.A related area of growing interest is the interactions between human operators and various (including robotic) medical devices. Without appropriate, accurate, and user-friendly interfaces, the uses of these technologies are limited. Haptic devices are an example of the profound effect that interface devices can have on practical functionality and applicability of the technology in medical applications. The benefits of such medical devices may include facilitating minimally invasive surgeries in aiding with complex surgical tasks inside a patient's body.