Novel force feedback technology improves suturing in robotic-assisted surgery: a pre-clinical study.

Introduction: The inability to sense force applied to tissue is suggested as a limitation to robotic-assisted surgery (RAS). This pre-clinical study evaluated the impact of a novel force feedback (FFB) technology, integrated on a next-generation robotic system that allows surgeons to sense forces exerted at the instrument tips, on suturing performance by novice surgeons during RAS.

Methods: Twenty-nine novice surgeons (< 50 RAS cases in the last 5 years) were randomized into two groups with (n = 15) or without (n = 14) FFB sensing.