MEDICAL ROBOTICS Single channel
Chair (Coordinator) and Rapporteur: MARILENA VENDITTELLI
Module 1: MODULO I
- Activity type
- Attività formative affini o integrative
- SSD
- ING-INF/04
- Year
- N/D
- Semester
- N/D
- CFU
- 3
- Hours distribution
- 30 classroom hours
- Lecturers
- MARILENA VENDITTELLI
MARILENA VENDITTELLI
Module 2: MODULO II
- Activity type
- Attività formative affini o integrative
- SSD
- ING-INF/04
- Year
- N/D
- Semester
- N/D
- CFU
- 3
- Hours distribution
- 30 classroom hours
- Lecturers
- MARILENA VENDITTELLI
Objectives
Introduction to the basic robotic technologies in the medical context, with particular emphasis on surgical robotics.
Expected learning results: Knowledge of the main robotic surgical systems, of the challenges and methodologies of medical robot design and control.
Expected competence in:
• critically reading a scientific paper describing medical robotics technologies;
• discussing in detail the state of the art of robotic applications in medicine;
• estimating potential benefits deriving from the introduction of robotic technologies in a medical procedure;
• arguing the development of a particular technology not yet available or experimentally validated;
• communicating and collaborating with people with different technical background;
• evaluating clinical, social and economical constraints in implementing a robotic technology in a medical context;
• design control scheme for teleoperation of medical robots and for shared execution of surgical tasks between humans and robots.
Learning outcomes
Module 1
General objectives
Provide basic tools for modeling and control of robotic systems for service and medical applications.
Specific objectives
Knowledge and understanding:
The student will learn actuators and sensors used in robotic systems and their working principles and the basic methods for modeling, analysis and kinematic control of robotic manipulators, motion control algorithms.
Apply knowledge and understanding:
The student will be able to analyze the kinematic structures of serial manipulators and design algorithms for motion control and the execution of assigned tasks.
Critical and judgment skills:
The student will be able to identify the functional characteristics of a robotic system with reference to the type of task, mainly of interest for medical applications, to analyze the complexity of implementation, the performances and any critical issues.
Communication skills:
The course will allow students to be able to present the main problems and the technical solutions related to the use and application of robotic systems.
Learning ability:
The course aims at developing autonomous learning abilities in the students, oriented to the analysis and solution of problems in the use of robots.
Module 2
General objectives
Introduction to the basic robotic technologies in the medical context, with particular emphasis on surgical robotics.
Expected learning results: Knowledge of the main robotic surgical systems, of the challenges and methodologies of medical robot design and control.
Specific objectives
Knowledge and understanding
The student will learn: to critically read articles that describe the main technologies involved in medical robotics; to discuss in detail the state of the art of robotic applications in medicine; how to approach the design of robot-assisted medical systems; robot modeling and control methodologies needed in the development of medical robotic systems.
Apply knowledge and understanding
The student will be able to approach the design of new robotic technologies for medical applications.
In particular, he/she will be able to develop kinematic model of medical robots, to design functional and control architecture for medical procedures supported by robots.
Critical and judgment skills
The student will be able to estimate the potential benefits deriving from the introduction of robotic support in a medical procedure and to evaluate the clinical, legal, social and economic constraints in the implementation of robotic technology in a medical sector.
Communication skills:
The student will learn to communicate and collaborate with people of different backgrounds for the definition of objectives and constraints in the project of medical robots based on clinical needs.
Learning ability
The student will be able to independently learn new concepts useful for the design and development of new technologies for medical applications.
Prerequisites
Module 1
• Control of linear dynamic systems
• Basic mechanics
• Basic programming concepts
Module 2
• Control of linear dynamic systems
• Basic mechanics
• Basic programming concepts
• Kinematics of robotic manipulators and kinematic control
Programme
Module 1
Kinematics of manipulators: representations of rigid body orientation; direct and inverse kinematics of robot manipulators; differential kinematics: analytic and geometric Jacobians.
Statics: transformations of forces.
Control: control system architectures; kinematic control laws (in joint or in task/Cartesian space); independent joint axis control.
Module 2
Introduction: course outline and historical perspective; analysis of the main surgical functions: the engineer point of view; high level description of successful surgical systems.
Classification of robotic surgical systems.
Kinematic design of surgical robots.
Control: control of semi-autonomous systems; task control with Remote Center of Motion (RCM) constraint in Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS); teleoperation; cooperative or “hands-on” systems; virtual fixtures for cooperative control.
Robot registration.
Technical description of successful surgical systems: the da Vinci surgical system; Cyberknife (radiosurgery); Acrobot (orthopedic surgery); Robodoc (orthopedic surgery); research prototypes.
Case studies.
Books
Module 1
B. Siciliano, L. Villani, G. Oriolo, A. De Luca
Foundations of Robotics, Springer, September 2025
Module 2
Teaching material provided by the instructor.
Bibliography
Module: MODULO I
N/D
Module: MODULO II
N/D
Lessons mode
Frontal lectures
Numerical exercises
Practical sessions, involving experimentation with research prototypes
Frequency
Not mandatory
Exam mode
Two alternative modalities:
- Written and oral exam
- Project (to be assigned a project, it is necessary to complete two homework assignments)
Example exam questions
Selected exam texts: https://elearning.uniroma1.it/course/section.php?id=116145
Arguments
- Introduction to the course and organization [2 hours]
- Manipulator kinematics: representations of rigid body orientation [4 hours]
- Manipulator kinematics: forward kinematics [4 hours]
- Manipulator kinematics: inverse kinematics [4 hours]
- Differential kinematics: analytical Jacobian and geometric Jacobian [6 hours]
- Statics: force transformations [2 hours]
- Control architectures [4 hours]
- Kinematic control (in joint space and task space) [4 hours]
- Overview of the evolution of surgical robotics [2 hours]
- Analysis of main surgical functions and their robotic counterparts [4 hours]
- Classification of surgical robotic systems [2 hours]
- Kinematic design of surgical robots [4 hours]
- Control of surgical robotic systems: interaction force control for medical robots [3 hours]
- Control of surgical robotic systems: teleoperation [2 hours]
- Control of surgical robotic systems: cooperative or “hands-on” systems [3 hours]
- Control of surgical robotic systems: virtual fixtures for cooperative control [3 hours]
- Robotic registration [2 hours]
- The da Vinci surgical system [2 hours]
- Case studies (may vary from year to year): robotic system for superficial hyperthermia; simulator of the da Vinci surgical system [3 hours]
Sustainability goals
- Academic year2026/2027
- Degree program to which the course belongsBiomedical Engineering
- Languageita
- CFU6 CFU, distributed among 2 integrated didactic modules
- Total duration60 hours