applied sciences Review Review of Advanced Medical Telerobots Sarmad Mehrdad 1,†, Fei Liu 2,† , Minh Tu Pham 3 , Arnaud Lelevé 3,* and S. Farokh Atashzar 1,4,5 1 Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, New York University (NYU), Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA;
[email protected] (S.M.);
[email protected] (S.F.A.) 2 Advanced Robotics and Controls Lab, University of San Diego, San Diego, CA 92110, USA;
[email protected] 3 Ampère, INSA Lyon, CNRS (UMR5005), F69621 Villeurbanne, France;
[email protected] 4 Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New York University (NYU), Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA 5 NYU WIRELESS, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +33-0472-436035 † Mehrdad and Liu contributed equally to this work and share the first authorship. Abstract: The advent of telerobotic systems has revolutionized various aspects of the industry and human life. This technology is designed to augment human sensorimotor capabilities to extend them beyond natural competence. Classic examples are space and underwater applications when distance and access are the two major physical barriers to be combated with this technology. In modern examples, telerobotic systems have been used in several clinical applications, including teleoperated surgery and telerehabilitation. In this regard, there has been a significant amount of research and development due to the major benefits in terms of medical outcomes. Recently telerobotic systems are combined with advanced artificial intelligence modules to better share the agency with the operator and open new doors of medical automation. In this review paper, we have provided a comprehensive analysis of the literature considering various topologies of telerobotic systems in the medical domain while shedding light on different levels of autonomy for this technology, starting from direct control, going up to command-tracking autonomous telerobots.