Performance assessment of kinematics and control interfaces for laparoscope positioners

Which laparoscope positioner is the most efficient? Simple question but still no accurate answer, nearly twenty years after the introduction of AESOP, the first robot that could hold and move the endoscope and camera used in minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery. This work establishes a standardized methodology to measure the motion performance of endoscope holders, and assesses the influence of kinematics and number of controllable directions on the performance of existing solutions.