A control system of a surgical robotic system, the surgical robotic system comprising a first robot arm and a second robot arm, each of the first and second robot arms comprising a series of joints by which the configuration of that robot arm can be altered, the series of joints extending from a base at a proximal end of the robot arm to an attachment for a surgical instrument at a distal end of the robot arm, the control system being configured to reconfigure the surgical robotic system by: controlling the first robot arm to operate in a surgical mode in which a first surgical instrument attached to that first robot arm is inside a patient's body; and whilst the first robot arm is operating in the surgical mode: (i) controlling the second robot arm so as to permit a second surgical instrument attached to the second robot arm to be inserted into a port in the patient's body; (ii) determining a fulcrum about which the second surgical instrument pivots when the configuration of the second robot arm is altered whilst the second surgical instrument is inside the port; and (iii) controlling the second robot arm to operate in a surgical mode in which the configuration of the second robot arm and second surgical instrument is controlled in response to inputs received at a remote surgeon console whilst maintaining an intersection between the second surgical instrument and the determined fulcrum.

A control system of a surgical robot arm, the surgical robot arm comprising a series of joints by which the configuration of that surgical robot arm can be altered, an attachment for a surgical instrument at a distal end of the robot arm and one or more force or torque sensors, each force or torque sensor configured to sense a force or torque at a joint of the series of joints; the control system being configured to control the configuration of the surgical robot arm to be altered in response to an externally applied force or torque by: receiving sensory data from the one or more force or torque sensors indicative of a sensed force or torque at a point of the surgical robot arm resulting from the externally applied force or torque; resolving the sensed force or torque so as to determine the components of the sensed force or torque acting at the point in a direction parallel with the longitudinal axis of a surgical instrument attached to the attachment; and sending a command signal to the surgical robot arm to drive the robot arm such that the configuration of the robot arm is altered so as to comply with the resolved force or torque components.

To realize torque control based on an estimated external force and to cope with more various situations. Provided is a medical support arm system including: a support arm that is a multilink structure having a plurality of links connected by a joint unit including an actuator, and configured to support a medical unit; and a control device including an external force estimation unit configured to estimate an external force acting on the joint unit on the basis of a drive characteristic of the actuator, and a joint control unit configured to control drive of the joint unit on the basis of an external torque estimated by the external force estimation unit.

A system for controlling a first robotic arm relative to a second robotic arm is disclosed. The system includes a two robotic arms each including a surgical tool and a tool driver. A central control circuit is configured to communicate with the robotic arms to determine a position of the robotic arms and modify a control algorithm for one of the robotic arms based on the relative position of the other robotic arm.

A robot system includes a slave unit including a slave arm having a working end, a slave arm actuator configured to drive the slave arm, and a slave-side controller configured to control the slave arm actuator based on a slave operating command for defining a target position of the working end, a master unit including a master arm having a manipulation end into which the content of manipulation is inputted by an operator, and a system controller configured to generate the slave operating command based on the content of manipulation inputted into the manipulation end. When a command corresponding to the content of manipulation is a command corresponding to a limit equivalent range corresponding to a limit of operation of at least one of the slave arm and the master arm, the system controller performs processing to give perception to the operator.

A medical system involves a flexible catheter, an instrument carriage, an actuator, and a controller coupled to the actuator. The flexible catheter includes a flexible body having a proximal portion and a distal portion. The distal portion is articulable along an articulation degree of freedom of the flexible catheter. The instrument carriage supports the flexible catheter at the proximal portion of the flexible body. The actuator is disposed on the instrument carriage and configured to drive the distal portion of the flexible catheter along the articulation degree of freedom. The controller is configured to detect an exception of the medical system, based on detection of the exception, switch from an operating state to a control state, and control the actuator, in the control state, to relax the flexible catheter along the articulation degree of freedom.

The system, devices and methods disclosed herein enable autonomous and tele-operation of tele-operated robots for maintenance of a property around known and unknown obstacles. A method may include using an unmanned aerial vehicle for obtaining additional data relating to the property and obstacles within the property and plan a path around the obstacles using data from sensors on-board the tele-operated robot and the aerial image. A method may also provide optimization of total time needed for performing the property maintenance and the labor costs in situations where manual intervention is needed for navigating the tele-operated robot around obstacles on the property or for removing obstacles on the property.

A method to enable autonomous and tele-operation of tele-operated robots for maintenance of a property around known and unknown obstacles may include using an unmanned aerial vehicle for obtaining additional data relating to the property and obstacles within the property and plan a path around the obstacles using data from sensors on-board the tele-operated robot and the aerial image. A method may also provide optimization of total time needed for performing the property maintenance and the labor costs in situations where manual intervention is needed for navigating the tele-operated robot around obstacles on the property or for removing obstacles on the property. Embodiments further include systems and devices practicing the method.

A system for controlling a first robotic arm relative to a second robotic arm is disclosed. The system includes a two robotic arms each including a surgical tool and a tool driver. A central control circuit is configured to communicate with the robotic arms to determine a position of the robotic arms and modify a control algorithm for one of the robotic arms based on the relative position of the other robotic arm.

A medical handling device comprises an instrument holder for holding an observation instrument that is equipped with an image capturing unit for capturing an image section. The handling device further comprises a robotic handling unit that supports the instrument holder and a control device that comprises a handling control unit for controlling the robotic handling unit and an instrument control unit for controlling the observation instrument. An input device is coupled to the control device for selecting an image section to be reproduced. The control device is adapted to control the robotic handling unit in response to user inputs at the input device to change the captured image section. The control device is adapted to convert operating commands at the input device into movement instructions, depending on a present orientation of the image capturing unit.