| Manufacturer | Computer Motion |
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The ZEUS Robotic Surgical System was a medical robot designed to assist in surgery, originally produced by the American robotics company Computer Motion. It was cleared by the Food and Drug Administration in 1994 to assist surgeons in minimally invasive surgery. ZEUS had three robotic arms, which were remotely controlled by the surgeon. The first arm, AESOP (Automated Endoscopic System for Optimal Positioning), was a voice-activated endoscope, allowing the surgeon to see inside the patient’s body. The other two robotic arms acted like extensions of the surgeon’s own arms, mimicking the surgeon’s movements and also allowing for more precise executions of the surgeon’s commands.[1]
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In the 1990s, Computer Motion was a leading producer of medical robotics, manufacturing systems such as the HERMES Control Center and the SOCRATES Telecollaboration System.[2] Computer Motion originally researched under a NASA SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) contract to develop the AESOP arm. NASA funded this research in the hope that use derivatives of such technology to help service the Space Shuttle in orbit, working on parts of the shuttle where humans cannot easily access or make delicate repairs or adjustments.[3]
AESOP was cleared for use by the FDA in 1994, where it became the first robot to assist in a surgery. AESOP's function is to maneuver an endoscope inside the patient's body during the surgery. The camera moves around based on voice commands given by the surgeon.[2] The voice activation of the AESOP arm allows the surgeon to use it while still holding on to the controls for the other two arms of the ZEUS system. The endoscope can also be controlled by a computer, which allows for more precise movements, and also allows the endoscope to be inserted into the patient through a smaller incision (a main component of minimally invasive surgery).
The first prototype of the ZEUS was demonstrated in 1995, and tested on animals in 1996. Two years later, in 1998, it carried out its first tubal re-anastomosis procedure, and its first coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) procedure. By 2000, the ZEUS was equipped to hold 28 different surgical instruments, and in 2001 it received FDA approval.[4] In 2003, the ZEUS Robot Surgical System was marketed at $975,000 apiece. This was slightly cheaper than the competing Da Vinci system, which sold for $1 million apiece.[5]
By 2000, Computer Motion had filed eight lawsuits against a rival medical robotics company, Intuitive Surgical, for allegedly infringing on Computer Motion's patents relating to robotic surgery.[6]
In March 7, 2003, Computer Motion and Intuitive Surgical merged into a single company. This was partially done to try to end the litigation between the companies, but also to combine their efforts in developing robotic surgical systems to increase the effectivness of such technology. Soon after merging, the ZEUS was phased out in favor of the Da Vinci system from Intuitive Surgical.[7]
The ZEUS was designed for minimally invasive procedures (microsurgery), such as beating heart surgery, and endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting (E-CABGTM). The system was also used to initiate more complex procedures, like a mitral valve surgery IDE study.[4] The ZEUS' robotic arms not only mimic the surgeon’s hand movements, but also scale down the movement, allowing the surgeon to easily make precise and small cuts.[2]
The arms also correct for tremors in a surgeon's hands, which are normal even without fatigue, though a highly traied surgeon will be able to lessen the negative effects. However, some surgeries can last for hours, in which case the surgeon's arms will get tired, and the resulting tremors from fatigue can make the surgeon create false cuts, which can be devastating during a delicate operation. To handle this, the ZEUS is designed to track and nullify these tremors while still responding to the movements/commands of the surgeon's hands.
During the surgery, the surgeon sits at the ZEUS console to control the arms. This can also lessen fatigue, because the surgeon is sitting down during the long operation rather than leaning over the patient.
The ZEUS is also able to perform remote surgery. Because the surgeon is simply controlling the robotic arms, the surgeon can sit at a ZEUS console remote from where the surgery is actually taking place, and still be able to perform the surgery. This technology is not yet advanced enough to make remote surgery over large distances feasible, because the information from the console cannot be transferred fast enough over a long distance to make the surgery safe for the patient. Once this technology has been improved, it can be incredibly beneficial to patients worldwide, because a single highly skilled surgeon in one city can provide life-saving operations to patients in many different cities as long as there is a surgical robot at the hospital where the surgery is taking place.