Newark Beth Israel chosen for beta tests for daVinci upgrades
I had the opportunity to beta test the newest additions to the daVinci S robot.
The engineers have done an excellent job with minor upgrades.
The 4th pedal which had been empty was fitted with a bipolar pedal. This was a nice much awaited for addition that will make setup much easier as we had been taping a pedal over this.
The camera attachment was upgraded to an easier to click in piece. This didn't add much for my team, but will make it easier for new teams.
My favorite upgrade was a John Madden type drawing feature on the patient side screen or a non-sterile screen on the cart. I termed this the "robo-strator". This works by allowing a surgeon not on the robot to draw on the screen and having this image seen by the operating console surgeon. An excellent teaching tool that will be a must have for all centers with residents or fellows. I had some thoughts on how to upgrade this such as adding suture needles into the display.
There were also some minor console such as how to engage the robotic masters (joysticks).
Overall, I was pleased with each of the additions. The one upgrade I didn't see yet was an arm on the patient side screen to lower it to a more user-friendly level.
| Permalink | 
| 
| 
Comments
"The 4th pedal which had been empty was fitted with a bipolar pedal. This was a nice much awaited for addition that will make setup much easier as we had been taping a pedal over this."
That falls into the "what took 'em so long?" category. FDA approval I suppose.
Posted by: Dale Russell | November 19, 2006 4:42 PM
I discussed this on a visit from the engineers a few months ago.
They wanted to see what people liked and then fit the pedal appropriately. It actually will likely be a multi-functional pedal so any bipolar type device can be plugged into it.
I do not think FDA approval was necessary for this, but I could be wrong about this.
Posted by: Domenico Savatta, MD | November 19, 2006 6:11 PM