Vision-Based Shared Control for Telemanipulated Nasopharyngeal Swab Sampling

Telemanipulation enables people to perform tasks in dangerous environments without exposing them to any risk. This also applies for medical applications. Many infections, such as the SARS-CoV-2 virus, spread over the air and can infect the staff while, e.g., taking samples. This paper proposes a shared control algorithm for a telemanipulation system that enables medical staff to easily perform nasopharyngeal swab samplings from a safe distance while maintaining the safety of the patient. We propose a vision-based virtual fixture approach to guide the operator during the approach towards the nostril. Force feedback and velocity scaling is used to improve dexterity and safety during the sampling. We further prove the stability of the system by introducing an energy tank that ensures passivity at all times. Finally, we test the approach on a real telemanipulation setup and demonstrate the improved usability resulting from the guidance of the shared control.