US 8,996,165 · Granted 2015-03-31

The Robot That Lets Surgeons Operate From Miles Away

Imagine a robot with a screen for a head rolling around an operating room, controlled by a doctor sitting in another city. It has a camera on a mechanical arm that can zoom in on a patient, and a local assistant can move that camera to get the perfect angle. It's like piloting a remote-control car, except the stakes are someone's health.

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The plain-English version

What it protects

The patent covers a mobile robot designed for remote presence in medical settings, specifically the combination of a wheeled platform, a head unit that displays a monitor, and an auxiliary camera mounted on an extendable boom. What's protected here is the mechanical arrangement where the boom can be independently controlled by someone in the room while the main robot body is piloted remotely, allowing a distant operator to see both a wide view (via the monitor on the head) and a detailed close-up view (via the camera on the boom).

Why it matters

This patent represents a critical step in telepresence robotics for medicine. By separating camera control (local assistant) from robot movement (remote surgeon), it solves a real problem in remote surgery: the surgeon needs multiple viewing angles but can't physically manipulate equipment while also driving the robot. This architecture became foundational for remote surgical consultation and training applications, where expert doctors can guide procedures from across the globe without being physically present.

Real-world use

When a specialist surgeon needs to observe a complex procedure happening 500 miles away, they control the robot's movement and main camera view while a local OR nurse adjusts the boom-mounted camera to show critical details like bleeding or tissue planes.

Original USPTO abstract

A remote controlled robot with a head that supports a monitor and is coupled to a mobile platform. The mobile robot also includes an auxiliary camera coupled to the mobile platform by a boom. The mobile robot is controlled by a remote control station. By way of example, the robot can be remotely moved about an operating room. The auxiliary camera extends from the boom so that it provides a relatively close view of a patient or other item in the room. An assistant in the operating room may move the boom and the camera. The boom may be connected to a robot head that can be remotely moved by the remote control station.

Patent details

Publication number: US 8,996,165
Filing date: 2008-10-21
Grant date: 2015-03-31
Assignee: Intouch Technologies, Inc.
Inventor(s): WANG YULUN, JORDAN CHARLES S., HANRAHAN KEVIN, SANCHEZ DANIEL STEVEN, PINTER MARCO
CPC class: G06F19/3418

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