Laparoscopic Surgical Robot for Remote In Vivo Training

The Laparobot is a tele-operated robot designed specifically for training surgeons in advanced laparoscopic techniques. The Laparobot allows a student to practice surgery on a remotely located animal. The system uses standard laparoscopic tools for both the student’s control interface and for performing the in vivo surgery, thereby providing a realistic training platform for non-robotic laparoscopic surgery. By allowing students to practice surgery remotely, animal models become more accessible and less expensive, and can replace learning on human patients. The Laparobot addresses problems inherent in designing a low-cost, tele-operated robot. keywords: laparoscopic surgery, tele-operation, animal model, surgical training