Path Planning for Semi-automated Simulated Robotic Neurosurgery

This paper considers the semi-automated robotic surgical procedure for removing the brain tumor margins, where the manual operation is a tedious and time-consuming task for surgeons. We present robust path planning methods for robotic ablation of tumor residues in various shapes, which are represented in point-clouds instead of analytical geometry. Along with the path plans, corresponding metrics are also delivered to the surgeon for selecting the optimal candidate in the automated robotic ablation. The selected path plan is then executed and tested on RAVENTM II surgical robot platform as part of the semi-automated robotic brain tumor ablation surgery in a simulated tissue phantom.