Towards shared autonomy in laparoscopic surgery: a foot interface controlled endoscope-holding robot

This thesis aims to develop an intelligent laparoscope control system composed of a novel foot interface and a shared autonomy framework, which eliminates the need for a human camera holder. The novel foot interface has been shown to provide natural and intuitive control and reduce the user's physical and mental fatigue. The shared control framework gives the surgeon direct control over the laparoscope but automatically adjusts the zoom factor. The case study results show that the proposed intelligent control system is able to lower the surgeons' workload and helps them focus on their hands-on tasks for better performance.