The daVinci Research Kit

The DVRK at SRC

Overview

The da Vinci Surgical System is a robotic platform designed to assist surgeons in minimally invasive procedures by translating their hand movements into precise robotic actions. It includes a surgeon console, patient-side robotic arms, and a high-definition 3D vision system, improving precision and control in surgery.

The da Vinci Research Kit (dVRK) repurposes retired da Vinci Surgical System components for research in telerobotic surgery. Developed through collaboration between academic institutions and Intuitive Surgical Inc., the dVRK provides access to robotic hardware and control systems, allowing researchers to explore new surgical techniques, instrumentation, and automation methods. Rather than a complete system, it serves as a modular platform for developing and testing innovations in robotic-assisted surgery.

Some recent research at the center has focused on investigating how surgeons learn to use robotic surgery tools by testing different training methods, like guiding movements or exaggerating mistakes to help with learning³. Research was also conducted on better ways to sense and feel forces during surgery, using AI to estimate force without extra sensors¹,² and developing new tools to improve touch feedback in robotic systems⁴.