A robotic camera for laparoscopic surgery: conception and experimental results.

The aim of this project was to replace the surgical assistant for common laparoscopic procedures with a robotic camera. The motions of the human camera operator were defined and expressed mathematically by a spherical displacement model. A revolving robotic arm with six degrees of freedom was employed in conjunction with this model as an automated camera in the performance of cholecystectomy, Taylor and Nissen procedures in animals, and cholecystectomy in humans. It represents a first step toward the introduction of robotic technology in laparoscopic surgery.