What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to create a robotic system that automates laser tissue soldering as an alternative to traditional suturing.

January 21, 2026Open Access

Automation of Robotic Laser Tissue Soldering for Minimally Invasive Surgery

MRMartin RolfsCal Poly Humboldt GMGeorg MännelFraunhofer Research Institution for Individualized and Cell-Based Medical Engineering OCOscar CipolatoUniversity of Zurich

Key Points

The aim is to create a robotic system that automates laser tissue soldering as an alternative to traditional suturing.
Developed a robotic control framework for laser tissue soldering.
Attached soldering laser to a laparoscopically-guided robotic arm.
Estimated the pose of an external laparoscope in real-time.
Employed a segmentation algorithm to detect soldering paste.
Achieved real-time tracking of soldering paste.
Maintained a maximum average deviation from the target path of 5mm.
Demonstrated effectiveness in responding to camera and tissue movements.

Abstract

Abstract Laser tissue soldering (LTS) represents a promising alternative to conventional suturing methods in minimally invasive surgery (MIS). This paper presents a novel robotic control framework that aims to automate the LTS approach. The method involves attaching a soldering laser to a laparoscopically-guided robotic arm. The pose of the external laparoscope is estimated online, while detecting the soldering paste simultaneously utilizing a segmentation algorithm. The presented vision-based control shows promising results, as it is able to track the soldering paste in real-time with a maximum average deviation from the target path of 5mm, while reacting to camera and tissue movements.

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