Introduction

The real da Vinci system uses a head sensor to detect if the operator is present. Without the operator, the system will not enable the teleoperation. For the dVRK, we have used a foot pedal as a dead man switch to detect if the operator is present (usually the “COAG” foot pedal). This is a reasonable solution for brief experiments, but it’s not very convenient. In this page we describe how to either create a “dVRK” head sensor from cheap parts or hack the existing da Vinci head sensor. The later option is much nicer, but it requires a full da Vinci system, and it’s important to note that you will need to keep the plastic covers on the surgeon’s console (or find an alternative way to mount the head sensor).

Note

Some HMDs (head mounted displays) also provide a way to detect if the user has their head in the console. We found a nice HMD that provides both a better stereo view than the ISI HRSV and a replacement for the head sensor (see Goovis).