Eye RHAS

The Eye RHAS (Eye Robot for Haptic Assisted Surgury) is a surgical operation robot that can be used to help during vitreoretinal eye surgeries. This system works on a minimally invasive basis, because it uses so-called haptic feedback.

Haptic feedback in surgeries refers to the fact that the surgeon feels the exact same pressures that the robot enacts upon the patient. It therefore allows the surgeon to have more control of the situation and make sure it does not endanger the patient. Especially in a delicate area of the body like the eye, the slightest pressure flaws can lead to injuries.

A robot without this technology will simply follow all the commands and move from position A to B without taking notice of any obstacles it meets on the way. However, for a more fruitful collaboration between man and machine, the development of the haptic feedback was tremendous.

Instruments are designed to be slimmer and thinner to be more precise, and with the development of the Eye RHAS, the computer can calculate the way the instruments will bend. It allows the surgeon to feel the same pressures the robot enacts upon the patient, minimizing risk of injury during the surgery.

This research was ?nancially supported by the IOP Precision Technology program of the Dutch Ministry of Economic A?airs.