The Neurovisualization Lab at the University of Virginia is developing the Integrated Remote Neurosurgical System (IRNS) to allow mentoring of neurosurgical procedures in remote locations. The system allows a remote neurosurgeon to control a robotic microscope through the use of a 3-D input device, communicate with the operating room (O/R) team through live audio and video, and view presurgical imagery. The surgical team in the O/R will have access to the same images and communication facilities. The system will serve as a training tool through the use of a complete robotic simulation we have developed. We have also instituted safety precautions in the form of restriction of robot motion, monitoring, and protocols of system use. We have developed a registration system to assist in the implementation of these guidelines. A task analysis has led to the development of a prototype user interface, and the preliminary integration of available components has been completed. We report on the ...
B. Sean Graves, Joe Tullio, Minyan Shi, J. Hunter