| While, in robotic surgery, the robot is given some initial data information and allowed to proceed on its own (save perhaps for the surgeon's supervision), there are some other applications of robotics in surgery where the robot is actually guided by a human throughout the process. The actions of the robot are not predetermined, but rather controlled in real-time by the surgeon. The most notable application of this sort is telesurgery. Telesurgery involves a surgeon operating from a remote location. The remote location can be as far away as the other side of the world, or as near as the next room. Since there is distance separating the surgeon and the patient, it is evident that the surgeon cannot operate using his own hands. A robot, local to the patient, becomes the surgeon's hands, while an intricate interface conveys the robot's senses to the surgeon (making use of visual, aural, force and tactile feedback). |
 |