cs.ROSep 22, 2026

Fine Wrist Control as a Marker of Surgical Teleoperation Expertise

Authors: Mary Kate Gale, Shujiro Shobayashi, Sangeet Satpathy, Nitsan Davidor, Ilana Nisky, Allison Okamura

Organizations: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. · Robotics Program, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland. · Department of Biomedical Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.

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Abstract

Unlike most intensely physical pursuits, surgical robotic teleoperation training focuses primarily on task outcomes rather than surgeon body posture or biomechanics during task completion. Toward the question of the role of biomechanics in surgical expertise, we sought to characterize the articular motion of expert teleoperators as compared to novice users. Twenty-seven novices and nine experts completed a non-medical cylinder-on-peg transfer task while their upper limb biomechanics were recorded via motion trackers. During more difficult motions, experts stabilized their wrist motion more than novices, while maintaining adequate range of motion in their shoulder and elbow and completing the task significantly faster than novices. This marker of expertise suggests the importance of attention to user biomechanics during teleoperation of surgical robots.

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Fig. 1: (A) Task board as seen through the dVRK endoscopic camera, displaying blue and white center cylinders, light-up outer pegs, and surgical instrument for grasping. (B) Location of motion trackers on participant’s torso, right upper arm, right forearm, and right hand.
Fig. 2: Expert (blue) vs. novice (orange) articular range of motion during non-inversion vs. inversion trials for (A) wrist flexion and extension, (B) wrist radial/ulnar deviation, and (C) forearm pronation and supination. Each dot represents the average range of motion for one participant.

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