• Dexterous Workspace
• Kinematic Analysis
• MATLAB modular tool
• Surgical Procedure

In the field of surgery, the choice of surgical technique aims to maximize patient benefit while minimizing trauma.
Patient-centric decision-making has driven the evolution of surgery from traditional open procedures to minimally invasive techniques.
Open Surgery (OS) involves a single large incision, offering direct visualization and manipulation but often at the expense of patient trauma and recovery time.
Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) has emerged as an alternative, offering reduced physiological stress, shorter hospital stays, and lower complication rates.
The history of MIS traces back to the late 1980s with laparoscopic techniques, revolutionizing surgery with smaller incisions and enhanced visualization.
In subsequent years, advancements in medical technology have driven the field of surgery into a new era characterized by precision, innovation, and improved patient outcomes: the teleoperated surgery.
In the 2000s, Intuitive Surgical developed the Da Vinci Surgical System, which has since become a milestone in teleoperated surgical robotics.
However, several other robotic platforms have been developed in recent years, including ValueBiotech's M.I.L.A.N.O Robotic Platform.
This study specifically focuses on addressing a critical issue related to this platform: determining whether the Operative Robot of the M.I.L.A.N.O Robotic Platform possesses all the necessary movements to effectively perform robotic cholecystectomy procedures.
Specifically, the project focuses on discerning whether the Support Robot should function solely as a positioner or necessitates additional movement to compensate for the missing movements of the Operative Robot.
To address this, we developed a modular tool in MATLAB for kinematic analysis of the two robotic platforms: the M.I.L.A.N.O Surgical Platform and the milestone of MIS, the Da Vinci Surgical System.
The tool, being modular, allows the kinematic analysis of any robotic arm, and by simply entering DH parameters, geometric features, joint types and joint ranges, it enables the determination of both dexterous workspace.
Through kinematic analysis and comparison of the two dexterous workspaces in a specific surgical area of interest, this study aims to shed light on the operational dynamics of the M.I.L.A.N.O Surgical Platform in executing robotic cholecystectomy, offering insights into its potential role in advancing minimally invasive surgical procedures.
After the development of the MATLAB modular tool, we reached a straightforward conclusion: while the VBT robotic arm lacked complete coverage of the gallbladder volume, it demonstrated superior dexterity compared to the Da Vinci robotic arm, which, although capable of encompassing the entire volume, exhibited lower dexterity.
Therefore three potential future aspects warrant consideration.
Although in performing a surgical operation, it may seem preferable to cover the entire gallbladder volume even at the expense of reduced dexterity, it's worth considering that achieving both complete volume coverage and increased dexterity, could significantly enhance surgical performance.
There exist three potential approaches for enhancing the results on the VBT robotic arm:
1) The adjustment of instrument orientations at the trocar ports to enable different gallbladder volume orientations for VBT complete coverage.
2) The setting of geometrical features of the VBT robotic arms, such as altering the lengths of the links, as this adjustment could facilitate complete volume coverage.
3) The potential incorporation of additional external movements by the VBT Support Robot, which could assist in reaching all the necessary poses.