A preliminary evaluation of remote medical manipulators.

This paper traces the development of teleoperators and associated control technology leading to the development of remote manipulators for medical application. The implications of various design approaches are elaborated in a general review of the UCLA Biotechnology Laboratory's preliminary evaluation of medical manipulators. The manipulators were made available through the auspices of the Veterans Administration, and included some early models which have since been improved. Conclusions from our preliminary evaluation, and suggestions for further development, are discussed.