[Percutaneous puncture with a robot].

The great advances of microelectronics and mechatoronics are gradually being applied into medicine. In percutaneous nephrostomy, it is possible to calculate the depth and direction of the needle by using a computer if one point on the surface of the skin and another point in the dilated renal pelvis are determined. When a robot is moved according to the computed results, a percutaneous operation is performed fast and exactly. We established a system through which a percutaneous operation is automatically performed. The following technical difficulties of this system were overcome. The coordinates of the two points for a percutaneous operation were input into a computer through a CRT display. Machine language of the Z-80 CPU was used for the programming. A program package enabling fast calculation was developed. The shape of the robot was calculated and shown on the CRT display before it showed any movements.