Control and safety aspects of medical robots for treatment of diseases of the prostate

There has been much advancement in the field of minimally invasive surgery in recent years. Medical robots play an important role in these improvements. Surgeons are fast accepting the aid of robots in laparoscopic, thorascopic, endoluminal and arthroscopic interventions, to name just a few. This paper reviews the state-of-the-art of medical robots that have been and are being developed for the purpose of treating diseases of the prostate. The main objective of these robots is to manoeuvre accurately a surgical tool via the transrectal or transurethral route to perform a surgical procedure on the prostate based on ultrasound guidance. The system approaches and control methodologies of these robots are highlighted. However, the main emphasis is on the safety aspects, both hardware and software, which are discussed in detail. Many of these safety features have been incorporated in the mentioned medical robots to enhance their reliability and safety.