Robots, lasers, and the quest for incisionless surgery

Loris Fichera

doi:10.1117/12.3003427

13 March 2024 Robots, lasers, and the quest for incisionless surgery

Loris Fichera

Proceedings Volume PC12840, Optical Interactions with Tissue and Cells XXXV; PC1284007 (2024) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3003427
Event: SPIE BiOS, 2024, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

Until today, the role of lasers in surgery has been mostly limited to tissue cutting (laser scalpels), which roboticists have supported by developing micro-mechanical systems for accurate, tremor-free laser aiming. As medical science evolves, we keep discovering new ways in which laser light can be used for surgical treatment: There are new types of laser-based treatment being pioneered where thermal necrosis – not resection! – is the goal. For these treatments to work, besides laser aiming, it is vital to also monitor and control the interactions between the laser and the tissue. These interactions, however, are notoriously hard to control, both by humans and machines, as they involve fast, highly nonlinear physical phenomena that can be challenging to model and even perceive adequately. My research vision is to enable a new generation of surgical robots, capable of intelligently monitoring and controlling surgical laser-tissue interactions. These robots will continuously monitor the status of a procedure and assist physicians in regulating laser delivery to achieve the desired clinical outcomes.

Conference Presentation

Citation Download Citation

Loris Fichera "Robots, lasers, and the quest for incisionless surgery", Proc. SPIE PC12840, Optical Interactions with Tissue and Cells XXXV, PC1284007 (13 March 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3003427

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