Image Based Methodologies and Their Integration in a Cyber-physical System for Minimally Invasive and Robotic Cardiac Surgeries

A Cyber-physical-system (CPS) is a computational system that integrates computing modules with physically distributed dedicated elements such as robotic devices and actuators. The concept is closely related to robotics and real-time (RT) embedded systems. Principally, within a CPS, embedded software modules manage the physical processes by means of feedback loops and continuous computations. It is expected that new technological advancements will increase the prominence and usability of CPS by amending the link between the physical and computational elements [1]. One of the most promising applications of CPS is the use of robotics in minimally invasive surgeries (MIS). Nevertheless, such a system entails much higher reliability and robustness than the general purpose computing, as it is directly related to human health. For instance, the results of a crash in the control software of a robotic device during a surgery can be detrimental or even fatal. Therefore, a surgical CPS should be extremely rigorous and ready for unexpected situations as well as adaptable to any possible system failures, due to unpredictability of the area of operation (AoO).