Trauma Pod - The Operating Room of the Future

Abstract

Today’s operating room (OR) encompasses clusters of technologies that migrated into the room as a result of an evolutionary process. In addition, during the past decade surgical robotic systems were introduced and incorporated into this crowded environment which made the OR a highly inefficient working space.
 
Analysis of the surgical robot’s role in the currently available OR setup demonstrates that the surgeon can be safely removed from the immediate surgical scene and maintain interaction with the patient in a teleoperational mode. Although this revolutionary mode of operation may have benefits for the patient, it is far from being efficient due to the lack of supporting technologies. The increased setup and operational time of the current robotic systems are due to lack of automation and the presence of sophisticated interfaces. As a result, the simple act of changing tools or readjusting the robot’s position produces inefficient interactions between the scrub and circulating nurses and this technology. These are a few examples demonstrating the incomplete revolution of incorporating surgical robotic systems into the OR.

The OR of the future revolutionizes surgery by completely removing people from the OR - except the patient. All medical staff, including surgeons and nurses, will 'extend their reach' to inside the OR using supportive robotic and telemedicine subsystems, such as tool changers and supplies dispensers, integrated into today's robotic surgery system. This helps surgeons perform the same motions, but beyond human physical limitations, with greater speed, precision and from a remote console.  Efficiency is improved by sophisticated software that continuously enhances, documents, records and assesses performance of the operative procedures. 

The Vision

Integration of an intelligent surgical robotic system into the unmanned and automated operating room.

• Full Body Scan
• Simulation 
• Surgical Robotic Arm Extended Mobility
• Surgeon Teleoperation Workstation
• Tool Changer (Scrub Nurse)
• Equipment Dispenser (Circulation Nurse)
• High-Level Control and Monitoring Intelligence Layer
• Inventory Management Software
  

PI (University of Washington): Jacob Rosen (PI) Blake Hannaford (Co-PI)

Collaborators: SRI (PI), General Dynamics Robotic Systems, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, University of Texas, University of Maryland and Robotic Surgical Tech, Inc.,

Funding Agencies: DARPA, TATRC

Trauma Pod - Overview - The Vision - Quick Time (40 MB)

Trauma Pod - Overview

Operating Room of the Future - Overview

Tool Changer

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