The workshop "Haptics in Surgical Robotics" will be held at the the WorldHaptics Conference in Istanbul on June 21st.
Abstract:
Surgeons’ hands are their main tools. They intuitively process both visual and haptic senses to perform a surgery. Yet, in robotic surgery, the use of a teleoperated system removes the direct contact of hands with tissues and thus, diminishes the sense of touch. Although 3D stereoscopic vision and enhanced dexterity are fully exploited in this field, the tremendous potential of haptic feedback has been confined to research activities. Up to now, the essential role of haptic feedback has not been fully recognized by the medical community since its benefits have not been demonstrated for clinical use due to the technical challenges.
This half-day workshop aims at discussing these issues by bringing together surgeons, developers and research engineers with a strong experience of robotic surgery. First, we will identify the role of haptics in robotic surgery guided by medical needs. Then, it will be analyzed whether the state-of-the-art haptic technology can satisfy the medical needs. This should enable us to point out future directions and to bridge the gap between the surgeons’ dream and what engineers can realize.
Organizers:
Evren Samur, Ph.D. Laura Santos-Carreras,M.S. Ali Sengül, M.S. Hannes Bleuler, Prof.
Robotic Systems Laboratory (LSRO),
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
http://lsro.epfl.ch/medical
List of Presenters:
1) Monika Hagen, M.D., Intuitive Surgical, USA
2) Stéphane Dominguez, M.D., University Hospital in Geneva (HUG), Switzerland
3) Andreas Tobergte, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany
4) Patrick Helmer, Ph.D., Force Dimension, Switzerland
5) Katherine J. Kuchenbecker, Prof. , University of Pennsylvania, USA
6) Vincent Hayward, Prof., Université Pierre et Marie Curie, France
List of Topics:
Haptic feedback in surgical robotics, Design of robotic surgery consoles, Surgical simulation and training, Safety in robotic surgery, Cooperative surgery, Multimodal haptics
For more information, download the 
workshop brochure
