US 11,937,891 B2
Systems and methods of controlling surgical robotic system using eye-tracking
Kevin Andrew Hufford, Cary, NC (US); Nicholas J Bender, Raleigh, NC (US); Alexander John Maret, Apex, NC (US); Matthew Robert Penny, Holly Springs, NC (US); Paul Wilhelm Schnur, Pipersville, PA (US); Dustin Owen Vaughan, Raleigh, NC (US); Sevan Abashian, Morrisville, NC (US); and Michael Okyen, Morrisville, NC (US)
Assigned to Asensus Surgical US, Inc., Durham, NC (US)
Filed by Asensus Surgical US, Inc., Durham, NC (US)
Filed on Oct. 6, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/064,222.
Prior Publication US 2022/0104898 A1, Apr. 7, 2022
Int. Cl. A61B 34/37 (2016.01); A61B 34/20 (2016.01); A61B 90/00 (2016.01); G06F 3/01 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 34/37 (2016.02) [A61B 34/20 (2016.02); A61B 90/37 (2016.02); G06F 3/013 (2013.01); A61B 2034/2057 (2016.02); A61B 2090/372 (2016.02)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A surgical robotic system comprising:
a camera positionable at a surgical site within a body cavity to capture images of a surgical field;
at least one robotic arm configured to carry a surgical instrument, the surgical instrument maneuverable by the robotic system in accordance with input from a surgeon input device,
a camera display for displaying images of the surgical field captured by the camera, and
an eye tracking system positionable to detect the direction of a gaze of a user towards the camera display,
wherein the system is configured to distinguish blood vessels from surrounding tissue in the camera images and to, in response to detection of the user's gaze towards a blood vessel in an image that is displayed on the display, add indicia to the displayed camera images, the indicia overlaying a first region of the image comprising both a first portion at which the user's gaze meets the camera display and a second portion that is displayed on the camera display but is outside the first portion, to highlight a full length of the blood vessel visible on the camera display as said full length to differentiate said full length from the surrounding tissue.