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The better understanding of the systems of the human body and their specific functions has led to minimally invasive and microsurgical procedures being carried out on an ever smaller scale. New therapies will require precision of 10 fim or better, which will only be achievable with robotic teleoperators. Experience with existing robot-assisted surgery systems shows that the human-machine interface is a critical component for acceptance of this technology, but no universally satisfactory interface has yet been found. Therefore, this article investigates a new concept based on kinesthetic motion feedback and presents details of the implementation of a first prototype.

The better understanding of the systems of the human body and their specific functions has led to minimally invasive and microsurgical procedures being carried out on an ever smaller scale. New therapies will require precision of 10 μm or better, which will only be achievable with robotic teleoperators. Experience with existing robot-assisted surgery systems shows that the human–machine interface is a critical component for acceptance of this technology, but no universally satisfactory interface has yet been found. Therefore, this article investigates a new concept based on kinesthetic motion feedback and presents details of the implementation of a first prototype. Comp Aid Surg 3: 205–209 (1998). © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.