Benoît Herman | UCLouvain (University of Louvain) (original) (raw)

Papers by Benoît Herman

Research paper thumbnail of Design and preliminary in vivo validation of a robotic laparoscope holder for minimally invasive surgery

The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery, 2009

Background Manual manipulation of the camera is a major source of difficulties encountered by sur... more Background Manual manipulation of the camera is a major source of difficulties encountered by surgeons while performing minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery.

Research paper thumbnail of Development and First In Vivo Trial of EvoLap, an Active Laparoscope Positioner

Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology, 2009

To determine essential specifications for an active endoscope holder, a survey of laparoscopic pr... more To determine essential specifications for an active endoscope holder, a survey of laparoscopic procedures was conducted. A review of the literature highlighted the advantages and limitations of existing scope-holding systems. From this analysis, basic requirements were listed for such devices. Pursuant to this, an ergonomic and user-friendly laparoscope manipulator was designed to assist the surgeon. A first in vivo procedure demonstrated feasibility of the device and its value in clinical practice, enabling surgeons to work more comfortably.

Research paper thumbnail of An articulated handle to improve the ergonomic performance of robotic dextrous instruments for laparoscopic surgery

Mechanical Sciences, 2014

ABSTRACT Hand-held robotic instruments with dextrous end-effectors offer increased accessibility ... more ABSTRACT Hand-held robotic instruments with dextrous end-effectors offer increased accessibility and gesture precision in minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery. They combine advantages of both intuitive but large, complex, and ex-pensive telesurgery systems, and much cheaper but less user-friendly steerable mechanical instruments. However, ergonomics of such instruments still need improvement in order to decrease surgeon discomfort. Based on the results of former experimental studies, a handle connected to the instrument shaft through a lockable ball joint was designed. An experimental assessment of ergonomic and gesture performance was performed on a custom virtual reality simulator. Results show that this solution improves ergonomics, demanding less wrist flexion and deviation and elbow elevation, while offering gesture performance similar to a robotic dextrous instrument with standard pistol-like handle configuration.

Research paper thumbnail of Ergonomic and gesture performance of robotized instruments for laparoscopic surgery

2011 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2011

Shape and mechanical structure of instruments play a large part in the lack of ergonomics during ... more Shape and mechanical structure of instruments play a large part in the lack of ergonomics during laparoscopic surgery. Providing intra-abdominal mobility and rethinking handles design are two solutions to increase comfort and precision of gestures. Based on previous work that determined the optimal intra-abdominal kinematics, this study analyses the influence of handle design on both gesture performance and ergonomics. A virtual reality laparoscopic simulator was developed to perform an experimental comparison between two novel robotized instruments and standard ones. A group of 10 surgeons and 6 researchers in robotics carried out two representative surgical tasks with each instrument. Based on instrument and arm segments tracking, a gesture performance index and an ergonomics index were computed. The study demonstrates that distal mobilities combined with improved handle design and integration increase ergonomics during laparoscopy and facilitate complex gestures.

Research paper thumbnail of Ergonomics and Gesture Performance Assessment of Robotized Instruments for Laparoscopic Surgery

Research paper thumbnail of Design of a compact laparoscope manipulator with releasable hybrid control

Research paper thumbnail of Design and realization of a new backdrivable laparoscope manipulator

Research paper thumbnail of Quel dispositif d'évaluation en pédagogie active? Comment assurer la cohérence entre les objectifs d'apprentissage et l'évaluation? Comment rendre l'évaluation utile pour l'étudiant?

Research paper thumbnail of A step toward robot teleoperation with eyes and hand

Despite the continuous improvement of master interfaces, distant robot teleoperation remains a ch... more Despite the continuous improvement of master interfaces, distant robot teleoperation remains a challenging task. In many applications (e.g. spaceships, underwater or flying drones, robotic arms that operate in hazardous conditions in factories), the operator has only an indirect vision of the remote environment, provided by a video camera usually mounted on the robot end-effector itself, and displayed on a 2D monitor. Whereas any controller is capable of planning a path to follow a prescribed 3D trajectory, driving such an eye-in-hand robot in real time is known to be difficult. Even a skilled user will not make the most of a 6-axis master interfaces that could normally induce a smooth and continuous motion.

Research paper thumbnail of Comparaison des performances d'instruments de laparoscopie à l'aide d'un simulateur de réalité virtuelle

Research paper thumbnail of Robotic dextrous instrument with ergonomic handle for laparoscopic surgery

ABSTRACT Hand-held robotic instruments with dextrous end-effectors offer increased accessibility ... more ABSTRACT Hand-held robotic instruments with dextrous end-effectors offer increased accessibility and gesture precision in laparoscopic surgery. However, ergonomics of such instruments still need improvement in order to decrease surgeon discomfort. This paper describes a specific handle connected to the instrument shaft through a lockable ball joint. Ergonomic and gesture performance were assessed on a custom virtual reality simulator, showing that this solution decreases arm and wrist strain, while offering the same gesture performance as a robotized instrument with fixed handle.

Research paper thumbnail of Toward Remote Teleoperation with Eye and Hand: A First Experimental Study

ABSTRACT Despite the continuous improvement of master interfaces, distant robot teleoperation rem... more ABSTRACT Despite the continuous improvement of master interfaces, distant robot teleoperation remains a challenging task. In many applications, including robot-assisted single port laparoscopic surgery and NOTES, the operator has only an indirect vision of the remote environment, provided by a video camera usually mounted on the robot end-effector itself and displayed on a monitor. Driving such an eye-in-hand robot smoothly in real time is known to be difficult. Even a skilled user will likely generate a succession of independent translations and rotations punctuated by frequent stops, in order to keep the target inside the camera field of view. Since one can assume that she/he will look most of the time at the target on the video monitor, our idea is to gather additional information on the remote target with an eye-tracking device, and to use it to facilitate teleoperation. This paper introduces a novel remote teleoperation system that comprises such a device, as well as an 6-axis joystick. Several eye-hand couplings are compared in a first experimental trial. It is shown that the system is effective and intuitive.

Research paper thumbnail of Robotic Dextrous Instrument with Ergonomic Articulated Handle for Laparoscopic Surgery

Research paper thumbnail of First steps towards robotic assistance to reconstructive microsurgery

Research paper thumbnail of Toward User-Friendly Robotic Assistance for Enhancing Accuracy and Safety of Reconstructive Microsurgery

Research paper thumbnail of Coaching tutors to observe and regulate leadership in PBL student teams or you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink…

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how PBL student teams develop specific leadership con... more The purpose of this paper is to investigate how PBL student teams develop specific leadership configurations when implementing interdisciplinary projects and whether or not tutors help in dealing with the group interactions that are subsequently generated. The data set was drawn from 2 cohorts of first-year students engaged in PBL activities in an engineering school in Belgium in 2011 and 2012. Following qualitative content analysis of tutor and student feedback and the use of sociometric testing, findings for 2011 showed that students developed 4 specific leadership configurations, each of them being positively correlated to specific perceived work outcomes. Findings for 2012 were based on using the sociogram as a pedagogical tool to enable tutors to describe and regulate group dynamics. We found that tutors positively perceive their role in facilitating production outcomes but are more uncomfortable when it comes to regulating the interpersonal problems that arise in student self-...

Research paper thumbnail of Device for excision of heart valve

A device (100) for the excision of a heart valve via a percutaneous route having a proximal (20) ... more A device (100) for the excision of a heart valve via a percutaneous route having a proximal (20) and distal (30) end, comprising an expandable cutting instrument, ECl, that forms a receptacle in the open configuration for receiving, compacting and containing the excised heart valve, an expandable cutting block, ECB, and a displacement mechanism (5, 6) for adjusting the distance between the ECl and the ECB (70).

Research paper thumbnail of Primary step for endoscopic sinonasal tract and anterior skull base robotics

BIO Web of Conferences, 2011

ABSTRACT Introduction: Surgeons have evolved a lot their surgical procedures in sinus surgery and... more ABSTRACT Introduction: Surgeons have evolved a lot their surgical procedures in sinus surgery and are now able to resect malignant tumors. These progresses are now leading new difficulties like impairing vision (bleeding and LCR flow) and necessity of multiple simultaneous tasks. With the aim of designing a new endoscope-holder, primary step was to characterize the surgeon gesture, the kinematics, and the type of man-machine interface acceptable by the surgeon. Methods: We worked on thirteen sinonasal tracts of cadaver heads. Surgical procedures were: opening all the sinuses, the carotid, the sella turcica, the lamina papyracea and the anterior skull base. We used conventional instruments which were instrumented with a force-torque sensor and a navigation system. Then we have experimentally evaluated robots with three different kinematics and two types of man-machine interfaces. Results: We collected enough position and force data as well as kinematics constraints and interface requirements to specify a robot for endoscopic sinus surgery.

Research paper thumbnail of Ergonomic and gesture performance of robotized instruments for laparoscopic surgery

2011 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2011

Shape and mechanical structure of instruments play a large part in the lack of ergonomics during ... more Shape and mechanical structure of instruments play a large part in the lack of ergonomics during laparoscopic surgery. Providing intra-abdominal mobility and rethinking handles design are two solutions to increase comfort and precision of gestures. Based on previous work that determined the optimal intra-abdominal kinematics, this study analyses the influence of handle design on both gesture performance and ergonomics. A virtual reality laparoscopic simulator was developed to perform an experimental comparison between two novel robotized instruments and standard ones. A group of 10 surgeons and 6 researchers in robotics carried out two representative surgical tasks with each instrument. Based on instrument and arm segments tracking, a gesture performance index and an ergonomics index were computed. The study demonstrates that distal mobilities combined with improved handle design and integration increase ergonomics during laparoscopy and facilitate complex gestures.

Research paper thumbnail of Mechatronic design of a hand-held instrument with active trocar for laparoscopy

2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2011

Instruments used in many types of minimally invasive procedures, in particular laparoscopy, are r... more Instruments used in many types of minimally invasive procedures, in particular laparoscopy, are rigid or only limitedly flexible and some tasks like suturing are difficult to perform with them. A novel hand-held, lightweight and ergonomic mechatronic instrument is presented in this paper. The instrument has a 3-DOF roll-pitch-roll end-effector controlled using an easy to use handle that provides the surgeon with a 6-DOF movement, including a distal circular movement which resembles the circular movement of stitching. The design of the instrument is based on a global study involving control, dexterity and ergonomic aspects, with the aim of developing an instrument that enhances the dexterity of the surgeon while having an intuitive and ergonomic interface. A proof of concept prototype was built and tested in vitro and in vivo.

Research paper thumbnail of Design and preliminary in vivo validation of a robotic laparoscope holder for minimally invasive surgery

The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery, 2009

Background Manual manipulation of the camera is a major source of difficulties encountered by sur... more Background Manual manipulation of the camera is a major source of difficulties encountered by surgeons while performing minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery.

Research paper thumbnail of Development and First In Vivo Trial of EvoLap, an Active Laparoscope Positioner

Journal of Minimally Invasive Gynecology, 2009

To determine essential specifications for an active endoscope holder, a survey of laparoscopic pr... more To determine essential specifications for an active endoscope holder, a survey of laparoscopic procedures was conducted. A review of the literature highlighted the advantages and limitations of existing scope-holding systems. From this analysis, basic requirements were listed for such devices. Pursuant to this, an ergonomic and user-friendly laparoscope manipulator was designed to assist the surgeon. A first in vivo procedure demonstrated feasibility of the device and its value in clinical practice, enabling surgeons to work more comfortably.

Research paper thumbnail of An articulated handle to improve the ergonomic performance of robotic dextrous instruments for laparoscopic surgery

Mechanical Sciences, 2014

ABSTRACT Hand-held robotic instruments with dextrous end-effectors offer increased accessibility ... more ABSTRACT Hand-held robotic instruments with dextrous end-effectors offer increased accessibility and gesture precision in minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery. They combine advantages of both intuitive but large, complex, and ex-pensive telesurgery systems, and much cheaper but less user-friendly steerable mechanical instruments. However, ergonomics of such instruments still need improvement in order to decrease surgeon discomfort. Based on the results of former experimental studies, a handle connected to the instrument shaft through a lockable ball joint was designed. An experimental assessment of ergonomic and gesture performance was performed on a custom virtual reality simulator. Results show that this solution improves ergonomics, demanding less wrist flexion and deviation and elbow elevation, while offering gesture performance similar to a robotic dextrous instrument with standard pistol-like handle configuration.

Research paper thumbnail of Ergonomic and gesture performance of robotized instruments for laparoscopic surgery

2011 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2011

Shape and mechanical structure of instruments play a large part in the lack of ergonomics during ... more Shape and mechanical structure of instruments play a large part in the lack of ergonomics during laparoscopic surgery. Providing intra-abdominal mobility and rethinking handles design are two solutions to increase comfort and precision of gestures. Based on previous work that determined the optimal intra-abdominal kinematics, this study analyses the influence of handle design on both gesture performance and ergonomics. A virtual reality laparoscopic simulator was developed to perform an experimental comparison between two novel robotized instruments and standard ones. A group of 10 surgeons and 6 researchers in robotics carried out two representative surgical tasks with each instrument. Based on instrument and arm segments tracking, a gesture performance index and an ergonomics index were computed. The study demonstrates that distal mobilities combined with improved handle design and integration increase ergonomics during laparoscopy and facilitate complex gestures.

Research paper thumbnail of Ergonomics and Gesture Performance Assessment of Robotized Instruments for Laparoscopic Surgery

Research paper thumbnail of Design of a compact laparoscope manipulator with releasable hybrid control

Research paper thumbnail of Design and realization of a new backdrivable laparoscope manipulator

Research paper thumbnail of Quel dispositif d'évaluation en pédagogie active? Comment assurer la cohérence entre les objectifs d'apprentissage et l'évaluation? Comment rendre l'évaluation utile pour l'étudiant?

Research paper thumbnail of A step toward robot teleoperation with eyes and hand

Despite the continuous improvement of master interfaces, distant robot teleoperation remains a ch... more Despite the continuous improvement of master interfaces, distant robot teleoperation remains a challenging task. In many applications (e.g. spaceships, underwater or flying drones, robotic arms that operate in hazardous conditions in factories), the operator has only an indirect vision of the remote environment, provided by a video camera usually mounted on the robot end-effector itself, and displayed on a 2D monitor. Whereas any controller is capable of planning a path to follow a prescribed 3D trajectory, driving such an eye-in-hand robot in real time is known to be difficult. Even a skilled user will not make the most of a 6-axis master interfaces that could normally induce a smooth and continuous motion.

Research paper thumbnail of Comparaison des performances d'instruments de laparoscopie à l'aide d'un simulateur de réalité virtuelle

Research paper thumbnail of Robotic dextrous instrument with ergonomic handle for laparoscopic surgery

ABSTRACT Hand-held robotic instruments with dextrous end-effectors offer increased accessibility ... more ABSTRACT Hand-held robotic instruments with dextrous end-effectors offer increased accessibility and gesture precision in laparoscopic surgery. However, ergonomics of such instruments still need improvement in order to decrease surgeon discomfort. This paper describes a specific handle connected to the instrument shaft through a lockable ball joint. Ergonomic and gesture performance were assessed on a custom virtual reality simulator, showing that this solution decreases arm and wrist strain, while offering the same gesture performance as a robotized instrument with fixed handle.

Research paper thumbnail of Toward Remote Teleoperation with Eye and Hand: A First Experimental Study

ABSTRACT Despite the continuous improvement of master interfaces, distant robot teleoperation rem... more ABSTRACT Despite the continuous improvement of master interfaces, distant robot teleoperation remains a challenging task. In many applications, including robot-assisted single port laparoscopic surgery and NOTES, the operator has only an indirect vision of the remote environment, provided by a video camera usually mounted on the robot end-effector itself and displayed on a monitor. Driving such an eye-in-hand robot smoothly in real time is known to be difficult. Even a skilled user will likely generate a succession of independent translations and rotations punctuated by frequent stops, in order to keep the target inside the camera field of view. Since one can assume that she/he will look most of the time at the target on the video monitor, our idea is to gather additional information on the remote target with an eye-tracking device, and to use it to facilitate teleoperation. This paper introduces a novel remote teleoperation system that comprises such a device, as well as an 6-axis joystick. Several eye-hand couplings are compared in a first experimental trial. It is shown that the system is effective and intuitive.

Research paper thumbnail of Robotic Dextrous Instrument with Ergonomic Articulated Handle for Laparoscopic Surgery

Research paper thumbnail of First steps towards robotic assistance to reconstructive microsurgery

Research paper thumbnail of Toward User-Friendly Robotic Assistance for Enhancing Accuracy and Safety of Reconstructive Microsurgery

Research paper thumbnail of Coaching tutors to observe and regulate leadership in PBL student teams or you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink…

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how PBL student teams develop specific leadership con... more The purpose of this paper is to investigate how PBL student teams develop specific leadership configurations when implementing interdisciplinary projects and whether or not tutors help in dealing with the group interactions that are subsequently generated. The data set was drawn from 2 cohorts of first-year students engaged in PBL activities in an engineering school in Belgium in 2011 and 2012. Following qualitative content analysis of tutor and student feedback and the use of sociometric testing, findings for 2011 showed that students developed 4 specific leadership configurations, each of them being positively correlated to specific perceived work outcomes. Findings for 2012 were based on using the sociogram as a pedagogical tool to enable tutors to describe and regulate group dynamics. We found that tutors positively perceive their role in facilitating production outcomes but are more uncomfortable when it comes to regulating the interpersonal problems that arise in student self-...

Research paper thumbnail of Device for excision of heart valve

A device (100) for the excision of a heart valve via a percutaneous route having a proximal (20) ... more A device (100) for the excision of a heart valve via a percutaneous route having a proximal (20) and distal (30) end, comprising an expandable cutting instrument, ECl, that forms a receptacle in the open configuration for receiving, compacting and containing the excised heart valve, an expandable cutting block, ECB, and a displacement mechanism (5, 6) for adjusting the distance between the ECl and the ECB (70).

Research paper thumbnail of Primary step for endoscopic sinonasal tract and anterior skull base robotics

BIO Web of Conferences, 2011

ABSTRACT Introduction: Surgeons have evolved a lot their surgical procedures in sinus surgery and... more ABSTRACT Introduction: Surgeons have evolved a lot their surgical procedures in sinus surgery and are now able to resect malignant tumors. These progresses are now leading new difficulties like impairing vision (bleeding and LCR flow) and necessity of multiple simultaneous tasks. With the aim of designing a new endoscope-holder, primary step was to characterize the surgeon gesture, the kinematics, and the type of man-machine interface acceptable by the surgeon. Methods: We worked on thirteen sinonasal tracts of cadaver heads. Surgical procedures were: opening all the sinuses, the carotid, the sella turcica, the lamina papyracea and the anterior skull base. We used conventional instruments which were instrumented with a force-torque sensor and a navigation system. Then we have experimentally evaluated robots with three different kinematics and two types of man-machine interfaces. Results: We collected enough position and force data as well as kinematics constraints and interface requirements to specify a robot for endoscopic sinus surgery.

Research paper thumbnail of Ergonomic and gesture performance of robotized instruments for laparoscopic surgery

2011 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, 2011

Shape and mechanical structure of instruments play a large part in the lack of ergonomics during ... more Shape and mechanical structure of instruments play a large part in the lack of ergonomics during laparoscopic surgery. Providing intra-abdominal mobility and rethinking handles design are two solutions to increase comfort and precision of gestures. Based on previous work that determined the optimal intra-abdominal kinematics, this study analyses the influence of handle design on both gesture performance and ergonomics. A virtual reality laparoscopic simulator was developed to perform an experimental comparison between two novel robotized instruments and standard ones. A group of 10 surgeons and 6 researchers in robotics carried out two representative surgical tasks with each instrument. Based on instrument and arm segments tracking, a gesture performance index and an ergonomics index were computed. The study demonstrates that distal mobilities combined with improved handle design and integration increase ergonomics during laparoscopy and facilitate complex gestures.

Research paper thumbnail of Mechatronic design of a hand-held instrument with active trocar for laparoscopy

2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2011

Instruments used in many types of minimally invasive procedures, in particular laparoscopy, are r... more Instruments used in many types of minimally invasive procedures, in particular laparoscopy, are rigid or only limitedly flexible and some tasks like suturing are difficult to perform with them. A novel hand-held, lightweight and ergonomic mechatronic instrument is presented in this paper. The instrument has a 3-DOF roll-pitch-roll end-effector controlled using an easy to use handle that provides the surgeon with a 6-DOF movement, including a distal circular movement which resembles the circular movement of stitching. The design of the instrument is based on a global study involving control, dexterity and ergonomic aspects, with the aim of developing an instrument that enhances the dexterity of the surgeon while having an intuitive and ergonomic interface. A proof of concept prototype was built and tested in vitro and in vivo.