Rather than trying to immobilize a living, moving organ to place the organ
in the fixed frame of reference of a table-mounted robotic device, the
present disclosure teaches mounting a robot in the moving frame of
reference of the organ. That task can be accomplished with a wide variety
of robots including a miniature crawling robotic device designed to be
introduced, in the case of the heart, into the pericardium through a
port, attach itself to the epicardial surface, and then, under the direct
control of the surgeon, travel to the desired location for treatment. The
problem of beating-heart motion is largely avoided by attaching the
device directly to the epicardium. The problem of access is resolved by
incorporating the capability for locomotion. The device and technique can
be used on other organs and on other living bodies such as pets, farm
animals, etc. Because of the rules governing abstracts, this abstract
should not be used in construing the claims.
