Evaluation of robotic control of advanced endoscopic instruments

Background: Advanced flexible endoscopes and instruments with multiple degrees of freedom enable physicians to perform challenging procedures such as the removal of large sections of mucosal tissue. However, these advanced endoscopes are difficult to control and require several physicians to cooperate. Methods: In this article, we present a robotic system that allows the physician to control an instrument in an intuitive way, using a haptic device. Performance with the robotic and conventional control methods were compared in a human subjects experiment. Subjects used both methods to tap a series of targets. They performed four trials while looking at the endoscopic monitor, and two trials while looking at the instrument directly. Results: Subjects were significantly faster using the robotic method, 54 s vs 164 s. Their performance in the second trial was significantly improved with respect to the first trial. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that the robotic control method can be implemented to improve the performance of physicians using advanced flexible endoscopes. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.