Did You Know...
...that in 1800 ether was first used by partyers as a fun diversion? Sniffing the gas led to hilarious and raucous laughter as people watched each other become more and more intoxicated and silly. Several doctors independently realized the value ether would have to anesthetize surgery patients. Of those who claimed rights to the "discovery," none had a happy ending. One had a seizure and died defending his rights. Another spent his life in an asylum because he had been denied acclaim. A third became addicted to chloroform and, in a New York City jail, he soaked a cloth in the drug, severed an artery and bled to death.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7314473 | Medical manipulator A medical manipulator comprises a working unit (10) that performs operations, an operating unit (20) that generates instructions, a drive unit (50) that drives the working unit on the basis of instructions given thereto by the operating unit, a ... | 01/01/2008 |
| 7314343 | Miniature manipulator for servicing the interior of nuclear steam generator tubes A manipulator for servicing tubes extending through a tube sheet having three major components: a base member, a block member, and a foot member. The base member has a holder for supporting tooling or inspection devices. The base member also has at least one gripper... | 01/01/2008 |
| 7314472 | Medical manipulator A medical manipulator comprises a working unit (10) that performs operations, an operating unit (20) that generates instructions, a drive unit (50) that drives the working unit on the basis of instructions given thereto by the operating unit, a ... | 01/01/2008 |
| 7261726 | Medical manipulator A medical manipulator comprises a working unit (10) that performs operations, an operating unit (20) that generates instructions, a drive unit (50) that drives the working unit on the basis of instructions given thereto by the operating unit, a ... | 08/28/2007 |
| 7118582 | Method and apparatus for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures A medical system which has a robotic arm that can move a surgical instrument. The surgical instrument is coupled to a tool driver of the arm that allows for a quick connect and disconnect of the instrument. The system does not require any tools to attach the surgica... | 10/10/2006 |
| 7083571 | Medical robotic arm that is attached to an operating table A system for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures includes a pair of surgical instruments coupled to a pair of robotic arms with end effectors that can be manipulated to hold and suture tissue. The robotic arms are coupled to a pair of master handles by ... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7074179 | Method and apparatus for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures A robotic system that moves a surgical instrument in response to the actuation of a foot pedal that can be operated by the foot of a surgeon. The robotic system has an end effector that is adapted to hold a surgical instrument such as an endoscope. The end effector ... | 07/11/2006 |
| 7027892 | Method and apparatus for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures A system for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures. The system includes a pair of surgical instruments that are coupled to a pair of robotic arms. The instruments have end effectors that can be manipulated to hold and suture tissue. The robotic arms are c... | 04/11/2006 |
| 7025761 | Method and apparatus for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures A system for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures. The system includes a pair of surgical instruments that are coupled to a pair of robotic arms. The instruments have end effectors that can be manipulated to hold and suture tissue. The robotic arms are c... | 04/11/2006 |
| 7025064 | Method and apparatus for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures A system for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures. The system includes a pair of surgical instruments that are coupled to a pair of robotic arms. The instruments have end effectors that can be manipulated to hold and suture tissue. The robotic arms are c... | 04/11/2006 |
| 6994716 | Medical manipulator A medical manipulator comprises a working unit (10) that performs operations, an operating unit (20) that generates instructions, a drive unit (50) that drives the working unit on the basis of instructions given thereto by the operating unit, a ... | 02/07/2006 |
| 6994703 | Method and apparatus for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures A system for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures. The system includes a pair of surgical instruments that are coupled to a pair of robotic arms. The instruments have end effectors that can be manipulated to hold and suture tissue. The robotic arms are c... | 02/07/2006 |
| 6963792 | Surgical method A teleoperator system with telepresence is shown which includes right and left hand controllers (72R and 72L) for control of right and left manipulators (24R and 24L) through use of a servomechanism that includes computer. The teleoperato... | 11/08/2005 |
| 6905460 | Method and apparatus for performing minimally invasive surgical procedures A system for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures. The system includes a pair of surgical instruments that are coupled to a pair of robotic arms. The instruments have end effectors that can be manipulated to hold and suture tissue. The robotic arms are c... | 06/14/2005 |
| 6906700 | 3D controller with vibration A hand operated controller or converter structured for allowing hand inputs to be converted or translated into electrical outputs, the controller structured with a plate or platform moveable relative to a base or housing about two mutually perpendicular axes general... | 06/14/2005 |
| 6699177 | Method and apparatus for performing minimally invasive surgical procedures A system for performing minimally invasive medical procedures. This system includes one or more robotic arms that can be attached to the operating table. The robotic arms can be controlled by input devices such as handles and a foot pedal to perform a min... | 03/02/2004 |
| 6658816 | Bulk palletizer system This machine is a cell for bulk palletizing a load such as the packaging of containers (bottles). The machine comprises a tier building system, a bulk load and dunnage supply systems. The cell also includes a programmable robot with cantilevered arm inclu... | 12/09/2003 |
| 6470236 | System and method for controlling master and slave manipulator In a system and a method for remotely controlling a slave manipulator easily and highly accurately, operations of three master manipulators are consolidated, and one slave manipulator is remotely controlled in accordance with the consolidation result, the... | 10/22/2002 |
| 6102850 | Medical robotic system The system includes a pair of surgical instruments that are coupled to a pair of robotic arms. The instruments have end effectors that can be manipulated to hold and suture tissue. The robotic arms are coupled to a pair of master handles by a controller. ... | 08/15/2000 |
| 6063095 | Method and apparatus for performing minimally invasive surgical procedures A system for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures. The system includes a pair of surgical instruments that are coupled to a pair of robotic arms. The instruments have end effectors that can be manipulated to hold and suture tissues. The roboti... | 05/16/2000 |
| 6007550 | Method and apparatus for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures A system for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures. The system includes a pair of surgical instruments that are coupled to a pair of robotic arms. The instruments have end effectors that can be manipulated to hold and suture tissue. The robotic... | 12/28/1999 |
| 6000297 | Master-slave micromanipulator method A method based on precision X-Y stages that are stacked. Attached to arms projecting from each X-Y stage are a set of two axis gimbals. Attached to the gimbals is a rod, which provides motion along the axis of the rod and rotation around its axis. A dual-... | 12/14/1999 |
| 5943914 | Master-slave micromanipulator apparatus An apparatus based on precision X-Y stages that are stacked. Attached to arms projecting from each X-Y stage are a set of two axis gimbals. Attached to the gimbals is a rod, which provides motion along the axis of the rod and rotation around its axis. A d... | 08/31/1999 |
| 5918507 | Micromanipulator fine control apparatus A micromanipulator fine control apparatus is operated with a mouse. As the mouse is moved to the front, rear, left and right, a control handle is tilted to the front, rear, left and right, respectively, and a fore and aft fine control slider and a left-ri... | 07/06/1999 |
| 5855583 | Method and apparatus for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures A system for performing minimally invasive cardiac procedures. The system includes a pair of surgical instruments that are coupled to a pair of robotic arms. The instruments have end effectors that can be manipulated to hold and suture tissue. The robotic... | 01/05/1999 |
| 5845541 | Micromanipulator fine control apparatus A micromanipulator fine control apparatus of the present invention is operated with a mouse. As the mouse is moved to the front, rear, left and right, a control handle is tilted to the front, rear, left and right, respectively, and a fore and aft fine con... | 12/08/1998 |
| 5807376 | Apparatus and method for performing surgical tasks during laparoscopic procedures An apparatus is provided for performing surgical tasks during laparoscopic procedures which includes an elongated body, a mechanical hand operatively associated with a distal portion of the elongated body and including a plurality of articulated fingers, ... | 09/15/1998 |
| 5767840 | Six-degrees-of-freedom movement sensor having strain gauge mechanical supports A user-manipulable sensor apparatus is provided for allowing a user to input, through hand manipulation of a movable member, motion in six degrees of freedom: translational motion in the X, Y, and Z axes, and rotation about each of those three axes. The a... | 06/16/1998 |
| 5107997 | Cable machine control Cable machine control, particularly a grapple yarder is provided with an integrated control system whereby the operator is provided with controls each of which controls a desired operation or movement of the grapple. In particular the controls include a h... | 04/28/1992 |
| 4946329 | Micromanipulator using hydraulic bellows Remote control of a micromanipulator employs laterally inextensible metal bellows, connected by flexible tubing of constant intermal diameter, in both the micromanipulator and the remote controller. Variations in the length of one bellows is communicated ... | 08/07/1990 |
| 4883400 | Dual arm master controller for a bilateral servo-manipulator A master controller for a mechanically dissimilar bilateral slave servo-manipulator is disclosed. The master controller includes a plurality of drive trains comprising a plurality of sheave arrangements and cables for controlling upper and lower degrees o... | 11/28/1989 |
| 4853874 | Master-slave manipulators with scaling In a controlling apparatus of a manipulator equipped with a master arm and a slave arm, a processing device is provided for effecting scale conversion calculation of a calculation result representing the position data of the master arm for expansion or re... | 08/01/1989 |
| 4756655 | Mechanical manipulator A manipulating mechanism is disclosed having a control handle adapted to be positioned freely in three dimensions, a fixture for supporting a tool to be positioned, a linkage system which causes the end of the tool to move in the same direction as the con... | 07/12/1988 |
| 4687400 | Device for moving objects in a closed container A device for moving objects about the inside of a closed container includes a grasping mechanism for grasping and releasing objects and an operating mechanism for operating the grasping mechanism and for moving the grasping mechanism about the inside of t... | 08/18/1987 |
| 4348142 | Six-axes manipulator A six-axes manipulator consists of a central tubular support 30 equipped with four bearings A, B, C, D at 90° to each other, disposed in a plane XOY perpendicular to the axis ZZ' of the tubular support, a ring 110 with a diameter larger than that of a se... | 09/07/1982 |
| 4298300 | Master-slave mechanical manipulator with homothetic displacements Master-slave manipulator having a master arm provided with a control handle and a slave arm controlled by the master arm and provided with a tool, said arms being connected by a shaft mounted in pivotal manner about its axis with respect to a fixed suppor... | 11/03/1981 |
| 4179035 | Balanced articulated manipulator A master-slave manipulator which penetrates an enclosure wall through an opening fitted with a mounting plate has a slave arm and master arm pivoted respectively to each end of a pivotally mounted central cylindrical body and constituted by one or more ar... | 12/18/1979 |
| 4167792 | Mechanical hands A mechanical hand has a rigid enclosure for housing the hand of a user, and at least one pair of gripping elements are provided on the rigid hand enclosure. One of these gripping elements is pivotally attached to the enclosure so as to be capable of movem... | 09/18/1979 |
| 4158415 | Remote access manipulator A remote access manipulator comprises a locking mechanism capable of self-alignment for performing operations on equipment located in areas where human access is limited. The manipulator further comprises a slave carriage located in the equipment on which... | 06/19/1979 |
| 4148403 | Remote access manipulator A remote access manipulator for performing operations on equipment located in areas where human access is limited. The manipulator comprises a slave carriage located in the equipment on which the operation is to be performed, such as a nuclear steam gener... | 04/10/1979 |
