Patent Publication Number: US-2013237995-A1

Title: Surgery robot system, surgery apparatus and method for providing tactile feedback

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/137,777, filed on Sep. 12, 2011 and which is pending, and claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 2010-0091508, filed on Sep. 17, 2010, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     Example embodiments of the following description relate to a surgery robot system, a surgery apparatus, and a method for providing a tactile feedback. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In medical terminology, surgery is an operation to treat a disease or disorder, for example, by cutting or incising skin, mucosa, or other tissues by using a medical machine. In particular, open abdominal surgery performed by cutting open abdominal skin and treating, forming, or removing internal organs may cause various problems such as bleeding, side effects, patient pain, and scars. Accordingly, use of surgery robots has recently increased to minimize bleeding and patient pain. 
     When a surgery robot is used, a surgeon may be able to directly check small vessels and nerves, and avoid even a minor hand tremor. That is, a precise and stable surgery may be performed. Such characteristics of the surgery robot have enabled successful surgeries for prostate cancer, bladder cancer, renal pelvis cancer, colon cancer, and the like. 
     The surgery robot is operated by a master-slave system. In further detail, as a surgeon operates a master robot, the master robot generates and transmits a control signal to a slave robot. Accordingly, the slave robot operates and performs surgery on a patient based on the control signal. The surgeon is able to monitor a state of the surgery through the master robot. However, the surgeon is not in direct contact with the patient and, therefore, cannot perform palpation during the surgery. That is, since the surgeon is unable to perceive a degree of contact between a surgery tool mounted to the slave robot and a surgery region of the patient, tissues of the surgery region may be pinched or pulled and thus may be damaged. In addition, the surgeon is unable to detect abnormal tissues through palpation. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to example embodiments, there may be provided a surgery robot system enabling generation of a tactile signal by detecting contact between a surgery tool and a surgery region and reproducing the tactile signal, thereby providing a tactile feedback, and also provided are a surgery apparatus and a method of providing the tactile feedback. 
     The foregoing and/or other aspects are achieved by providing a surgery robot system including a slave robot mounted with a surgery tool including at least one sensor that generates a contact signal upon contact with a surgery region; and a master robot adapted to generate a control signal to control operation of the surgery tool and to receive and reproduce the contact signal from the slave robot. 
     The slave robot may include a signal converter to convert the contact signal generated from the sensor into an electrical signal; a slave transceiver to receive the control signal from the master robot and to transmit the electrical signal converted from the contact signal to the master robot; and a slave controller to control operation of the surgery tool in accordance with the received control signal. 
     The slave robot may further include a temperature sensor to detect a variation of temperature of the surgery tool and to generate a temperature signal; and a signal combiner to combine the temperature signal with the electrical signal converted from the contact signal. 
     The sensor may be a tactile sensor which may detect a degree of contact between the surgery tool and the surgery region according to a mechanical deformation of the surgery tool, and may generate the contact signal according to the contact degree being detected, the contact signal being a tactile signal. 
     The surgery tool may include a plurality of tactile sensors as the at least one sensor and may include a cylindrical portion extending from one end thereof, and when the plurality of tactile sensors are provided to the surgery tool, the tactile sensors may be symmetrically arranged on an inner surface or an outer surface of the cylindrical portion. 
     The master robot may include a user operator to generate a control signal to control operation of the surgery tool in accordance with a user operation; a master transceiver to transmit the control signal to the slave robot and to receive the contact signal from the slave robot; a signal adjuster to adjust a signal level of the received contact signal, so that the contact signal is processable by the master robot; a tactile reproduction actuator in the user operator; and a master controller to drive the tactile reproduction actuator to reproduce the signal level-adjusted contact signal. 
     The master robot may include a temperature value generator in the user operator, the temperature value generator to separate the temperature signal from the contact signal received by the master transceiver, and to generate a temperature value corresponding to the temperature signal; and a display to display the signal level-adjusted contact signal and the separated temperature signal. 
     The tactile reproduction actuator may include any one selected from a pneumatic actuator, a piezoelectric actuator, and a shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator. 
     The foregoing and/or other aspects are achieved by providing a surgery apparatus including a surgery tool; a user operator to generate a control signal to control operation of the surgery tool in accordance with a user operation; at least one sensor to generate a tactile signal upon contact between the surgery tool and a surgery region; and a tactile reproduction actuator to reproduce the tactile signal. 
     The at least one sensor may be a tactile sensor which may be a fiber optic sensor included in the surgery tool to detect a degree of contact between the surgery tool and the surgery region according to a mechanical deformation of the surgery tool, and to generate the tactile signal according to the degree of contact being detected. 
     The surgery apparatus may further include a signal converter to convert the tactile signal generated by the at least one sensor into an electrical signal. 
     The surgery apparatus may further include a temperature sensor to detect a variation of temperature of the surgery tool and to generate a temperature signal; a temperature value generator included in the user operator to generate a temperature value corresponding to the generated temperature signal; and a display to display the tactile signal and the temperature signal. 
     The foregoing and/or other aspects are achieved by providing a method of providing tactile feedback including generating a control signal to control operation of a surgery tool; operating the surgery tool in accordance with the control signal; generating a contact signal using at least one sensor included in the surgery tool when the surgery tool contacts a surgery region; and reproducing the contact signal. 
     The generating the tactile signal may include converting the contact signal generated from the at least one sensor into an electrical signal. 
     The generating the contact signal may include detecting a variation of temperature of the surgery tool by a temperature sensor and generating a temperature signal. 
     The generating the contact signal may include detecting a degree of contact between the surgery tool and the surgery region according to a mechanical deformation of the surgery tool, and generating a tactile signal as the contact signal according to the degree of contact being detected. 
     The reproducing the contact signal may include generating a temperature value corresponding to the temperature signal by driving a temperature value generator; and displaying the contact signal and the temperature signal. 
     Additional aspects, features, and/or advantages of example embodiments will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and/or other aspects and advantages will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the example embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: 
         FIG. 1  is a diagram of a surgery robot system providing tactile feedback, according to example embodiments; 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a structure of the surgery robot system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a structure of a surgery apparatus according to example embodiments; 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram of a surgery tool that generates a tactile signal of the surgery robot system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIGS. 5 ,  6  and  7  are diagrams of various types of the tactile sensors for the surgery tool; 
         FIG. 8  is a diagram of a user operator that provides tactile feedback, according to example embodiments; 
         FIG. 9  is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing tactile feedback according to example embodiments; and 
         FIG. 10  is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing tactile feedback according to other example embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description if detailed descriptions of related disclosed art or configurations have been determined to unnecessarily make the subject matter of the embodiments obscure, they are omitted. Terms to be used below are defined based on their functions in the present embodiments and may vary according to users, user&#39;s intentions, or practices. Therefore, the definitions of the terms should be determined based on the entire specification. 
       FIG. 1  is a diagram showing a surgery robot system providing tactile feedback, according to example embodiments. Referring to  FIG. 1 , the surgery robot system employs a master-slave system which includes a slave robot  100  and a master robot  200 . 
     When a surgeon operates a user operator or user actuation device  220  mounted on the master robot  200 , the master robot  200  generates a control signal and transmits the control signal to the slave robot  100 . Receiving the control signal, the slave robot  100  controls operation of a surgery tool  120 . 
     The slave robot  100  includes the surgery tool  120 . The surgery tool  120  is connected to a main body of the slave robot  100  by a robot arm  170 . The slave robot  100  controls the operation of the surgery tool  120  according to the control signal received from the master robot  200 , and therefore performs surgery with respect to a patient  400  on an operating table  305 . That is, the surgery tool  120  performs the surgery through incision, suture, and the like, in direct contact with the surgery region of the patient  400 . 
     During the surgery, the slave robot  100  generates a contact signal, such as a tactile signal, using at least one sensor, such as a tactile sensor, provided on the surgery tool  120 . When a mechanical deformation of the surgery tool  120  occurs by contact between the surgery tool  120  and the surgery region, the tactile sensor detects the deformation and accordingly generates the tactile signal. 
     The slave robot  100  adjusts a signal level of the tactile signal so that the tactile signal is processable by the master robot  200 , and transmits the level-adjusted tactile signal to the master robot  200 . Upon receiving the tactile signal from the slave robot  100 , the master robot  200  reproduces the tactile signal using a tactile reproduction actuator provided to the user operator  220 . Accordingly, the surgeon may be provided with tactile feedback corresponding to the contact between the surgery tool  120  and the surgery region while, at the same time, performing the surgery by operating the user operator  220 . Additionally, the master robot  200  may display the tactile signal through a display  230  in the form of text or a graph. 
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a structure of the surgery robot system of  FIG. 1 . Referring to  FIG. 2 , the surgery robot system includes the slave robot  100  and the master robot  200 . The slave robot  100  includes a slave transceiver  110 , the surgery tool  120 , a signal converter  130 , a signal combiner  140 , an imager  150 , and a slave controller  160 . 
     The slave transceiver  110  transmits and receives signals to and from the master robot  200 . The slave transceiver  110  receives a control signal for controlling operation of the surgery tool  120 , from the master robot  200 . The surgery tool  120  operates in accordance with the control signal received from the master robot  200 , thereby performing surgery on a patient. The surgery tool  120  includes a tactile sensor  121  and a temperature sensor  122 . 
     While the surgery tool  120  is performing the surgery, the tactile sensor  121  detects contact between the surgery tool  120  and the surgery region of the patient  400  and accordingly generates the tactile signal. Specifically, the tactile sensor  121  detects a degree of contact between the surgery tool  120  and the surgery region according to a mechanical deformation of the surgery tool  120  caused by the contact with the surgery region, and generates the tactile signal corresponding to the degree of contact being detected. Therefore, the tactile sensor  121  detects not only contact such as pressing and touching the surgery region by the surgery tool  120  but also grabbing or pulling of the surgery region by the surgery tool  120 , and correspondingly generates the tactile signal. 
     The tactile sensor  121  may be a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor which is a type of fiber optic sensor. The FBG sensor is structured by engraving a plurality of fiber optic Bragg gratings on one strand of fiber optic in uniform lengths. The FBG sensor detects strength or temperature based on variation of a wavelength of light reflected from the respective gratings according to environmental factors such as the strength or temperature. When a mechanical deformation occurs, the plurality of fiber optic Bragg gratings constituting the FBG sensor are changed in refractive index or length, thereby changing the wavelength of light reflected from the respective gratings. Therefore, the FBG sensor measures the wavelength of light reflected from the plurality of fiber optic Bragg gratings while the surgery tool  120  is performing the surgery. When the wavelength of light from some of the Bragg gratings is different from a reference wavelength, the FBG sensor may correspondingly generate the tactile signal. 
     The FBG sensor may be disposed in close contact with an inner surface or an outer surface of the surgery tool  120  to more efficiently detect the mechanical deformation of the surgery tool  120 . One or more FBG sensors may be provided in the surgery tool  120 . When plural FBG sensors are provided, the FBG sensors may be symmetrically arranged to increase the detection efficiency regarding the mechanical deformation of the surgery tool  120 . More specifically, a cylindrical portion may extend from one end of the surgery tool  120 , and the plurality of FBG sensors may be symmetrically arranged in close contact with the inner surface or the outer surface of the cylindrical portion. 
     The temperature sensor  122  is disposed at an inner center of the surgery tool  120  to detect variation of temperature of the surgery tool  120  and accordingly generate a temperature signal. A generally-known temperature sensor or the FBG sensor used for the tactile sensor  121  may be employed as the temperature sensor  122 . The FBG sensor may detect temperature using variation of a wavelength of light reflected from some or all of a plurality of fiber optic Bragg gratings, with the variation corresponding to a change of temperature. 
     The signal converter  130  converts the tactile signal generated by the tactile sensor  121  into an electrical signal 
     The signal combiner  140  combines the temperature signal with the electrical signal converted from the tactile signal. That is, the signal combiner  140  generates a combination tactile signal containing the temperature signal. 
     The imager  150  is mounted to a main body of the slave robot  100  and generates a surgery image by imaging the surgery region during the surgery. The slave controller  160  controls operation of the surgery tool  120  corresponding to the control signal received through the slave transceiver  110 . In addition, the slave controller  160  may control the slave transceiver  110  to transmit the combination tactile signal combined by the signal combiner  140  and the surgery image generated by the imager  150 , to the master robot  200 . 
     The master robot  200  includes a master transceiver  210 , the user operator  220 , a display  230 , and a master controller  240 . The master transceiver  210  receives and transmits signals to and from the slave robot  100 . The master transceiver  210  receives the tactile signal and the surgery image from the slave robot  100 . The display  230  may display the surgery image. 
     The user operator  220  is mounted to a main body of the master robot  200  and is structured to be pinched or gripped by a hand of a user, for example a surgeon. When the user pinching or gripping the user operator  220  performs a hand closing motion or redirects the user operator  220 , the user operator  220  generates a corresponding control signal. Since the control signal is adapted to control operation of the surgery tool  120 , the user may operate the user operator  220  by checking the surgery image being displayed through the display  230 . 
     The user operator  220  includes a tactile reproduction actuator  221 , a temperature value generator  222  and a signal adjuster  223 . The tactile signal received by the master transceiver  210  may contain a temperature signal. Therefore, in this case, the temperature value generator  222  may separate the temperature signal from the tactile signal and generate a temperature value corresponding to the separated temperature signal. 
     The signal adjuster  223  adjusts a signal level of the tactile signal from which the temperature signal is separated, so that the tactile signal is processable by the master robot  200 . 
     The tactile reproduction actuator  221  reproduces the tactile signal of which the signal level is adjusted by the signal adjuster  223 . The tactile reproduction actuator  221  mechanically operates in accordance with the tactile signal; that is, the electrical signal provides tactile feedback regarding the surgery region being sensed by the surgery tool  120 . The tactile reproduction actuator  221  may employ any one of a piezoelectric actuator, a pneumatic actuator, and an SMA actuator, however, the tactile reproduction actuator  221  is not limited thereto. Any other actuators or tactile reproduction devices capable of reproducing a tactile signal may also be used as the tactile reproduction actuator  221 . 
     The display  230  may display the tactile signal of which the signal level is adjusted by the signal adjuster  223 , and the temperature signal. For example, the temperature signal and the tactile signal may be displayed in the form of numbers or graphs. 
     The master controller  240  may control the master transceiver  210  to transmit the control signal corresponding to the operation of the user operator  220 , to the slave robot  100 . Additionally, the master controller  240  controls the tactile reproduction actuator  221  to reproduce the tactile signal, and controls the temperature value generator  222  to generate a temperature value corresponding to the temperature signal. 
     According to the surgery robot system shown in  FIG. 2 , a tactile sense generated by contact between the surgery tool  120  and the surgery region may be reproduced by the user operator  220  which contacts the user&#39;s hand. Therefore, the user may perform palpation of the surgery region through the tactile feedback even when the surgery robot system is performing the surgery. 
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating a structure of a surgery apparatus  300  according to example embodiments. Referring to  FIG. 3 , the surgery apparatus  300  refers to an apparatus to perform surgery by operating a surgery tool  310  in accordance with a user operation. The surgery apparatus  300  may be in the form of an apparatus integrally including functions of the slave robot  100  and the master robot  200 , like the surgery robot system illustrated with  FIGS. 1 and 2 . That is, the surgery apparatus  300  may include the surgery tool  310  and a user operator  350  for controlling the surgery tool  310 , which are mounted to a main body. 
     The surgery apparatus  300  may include the surgery tool  310 , a signal converter  320 , a controller  330 , a display  340 , and the user operator  350 . The user operator  350  may be connected to the surgery tool  300  to generate a control signal for controlling operation of the surgery tool  310  in accordance with a user operation. When the user performs a hand closing motion or redirects the user operator  350  in the state of pinching or gripping the user operator  350 , the user operator  350  generates a corresponding control signal. 
     The controller  330  controls the surgery tool  310  using the control signal generated from the user operator  350 . The surgery tool  310  performs an operation corresponding to the control signal, thereby performing the surgery on a patient. The surgery tool  310  includes a tactile sensor  311  and a temperature sensor  312 . 
     While the surgery tool  310  is performing the surgery, the tactile sensor  311  detects contact between the surgery tool  310  and a surgery region of the patient and accordingly generates a tactile signal. At least one tactile sensor  311  may be mounted on an inner surface or an outer surface of the surgery tool  310 . The tactile sensor  311  may detect a degree of contact between the surgery tool  310  and the surgery region according to a mechanical deformation of the surgery tool  310 , and generate the tactile signal according to the degree of contact being detected. 
     The temperature sensor  312  may be disposed internally at a center of the surgery tool  310  to detect a variation in temperature of the surgery tool  310  and accordingly generate a temperature signal. 
     An FBG sensor may be used as the tactile sensor  311  and the temperature sensor  312 . 
     The signal converter  320  converts the tactile signal generated by the tactile sensor  311  into an electrical signal. The signal converter  320  may convert, into an electrical signal, the tactile signal only or a combination tactile signal combined with the temperature signal. 
     Upon receiving the temperature signal and the tactile signal through the signal converter  320 , the controller  330  controls a tactile reproduction actuator  351 , a temperature value generator  352 , and a display  340  included in the user operator  350 . The tactile reproduction actuator  351  reproduces the tactile signal. More specifically, the tactile reproduction actuator  351  may mechanically operate in accordance with the tactile signal which is an electrical signal, thereby providing tactile feedback regarding the surgery region being sensed by the surgery tool  310 . The temperature value generator  352  may generate a temperature value corresponding to the temperature signal. 
     The display  340  may display the tactile signal and the temperature signal. The display  340  may display strength or a region corresponding to the tactile signal in the form of texts or graphs, and display the temperature signal in the form of texts. Also, the display  340  may display a surgery image generated by an imaging device (not shown) during the surgery. 
       FIG. 4  is a diagram illustrating the surgery tool  120  that generates the tactile signal of the surgery robot system of  FIG. 1 . Specifically,  FIG. 4  is an enlarged view of the surgery tool  120  of  FIG. 1 . The surgery tool  120  is connected to the robot arm  170  and moved according to a movement of the robot arm  170 , thereby being brought into contact with the surgery region. A robot joint  171 , which is a part of the robot arm  170 , may increase a degree of freedom of the robot arm  170 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , for example, the surgery tool  120  may be a grasper to grasp specific tissue in the surgery region or a suture. When the user operates the user operator  220  provided to the master robot  220 , the surgery tool  120  may perform a pressing motion, a closing motion, or a widening motion in accordance with the user operation, thereby pressing or pulling the surgery region. 
     The surgery tool  120  includes the tactile sensor  121  mounted therein to detect the contact between the surgery tool  120  and the surgery region and accordingly generate the tactile signal. When the surgery tool  120  contacts the surgery region or pulls the suture, the surgery tool  120  is mechanically deformed by a pressure, tension, attraction, and the like. When the surgery tool  120  is mechanically deformed, the tactile sensor  121  mounted in the surgery tool  120  detects the contact between the surgery tool  120  and the surgery region and measures a degree of the mechanical deformation of the surgery tool  120 . Accordingly, the tactile sensor  121  generates the tactile signal. The tactile sensor  121  may be an FBG sensor that generates the tactile signal by detecting strength or temperature using variation of a wavelength of light reflected from a plurality of fiber optic Bragg gratings. 
       FIGS. 5 to 7  are diagrams illustrating various types of tactile sensors which can be provided to the surgery tool. 
       FIG. 5  includes a perspective view and a sectional view of the surgery tool  120  which includes a first tactile sensor  121   a , a second tactile sensor  121   b , and a third tactile sensor  121   c . The first tactile sensor  121   a  and the second tactile sensor  121   b  may be disposed at both ends of the surgery tool  120  having a semicircular cylinder shape. The third tactile sensor  121   c  may be disposed in a middle of a curved surface with respect to a width direction. The first tactile sensor  121   a , the second tactile sensor  121   b  and the third tactile sensor  121   c  may be mounted in close contact with the inner surface of the surgery tool  120  to more efficiently detect the mechanical deformation of the surgery tool  120 . 
     Although  FIG. 5  shows the first tactile sensor  121   a , the second tactile sensor  121   b  and the third tactile sensor  121   c  disposed on the inner surface of the surgery tool  120 , the first tactile sensor  121   a , the second tactile sensor  121   b  and the third tactile sensor  121   c  may be disposed on the outer surface of the surgery tool  120 . 
       FIG. 6  includes a perspective view and a sectional view of a surgery tool  600  including a first tactile sensor  621 , a second tactile sensor  622 , a third tactile sensor  623 , and a fourth tactile sensor  624 . 
     The first through fourth tactile sensors  621 - 624  may be symmetrically arranged to more efficiently detect the mechanical deformation of the surgery tool  600 . To more efficiently detect the mechanical deformation of the surgery tool  600 , the surgery tool  600  may include a cylindrical portion  610  extending from one end thereof. For example, the cylindrical portion  610  may extend from one end of the surgery tool  600  where the robot joint  171  is connected as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     The first through fourth tactile sensors  621  to  624  are disposed on an inner surface of the cylindrical portion  610 . The first tactile sensor  621  and the third tactile sensor  623  may be symmetrically arranged with respect to a center point C of a cross section of the cylindrical portion  610 . Also, the second tactile sensor  622  and the fourth tactile sensor  624  may be symmetrically arranged with respect to the center point C. In addition, the first tactile sensor  621  and the second tactile sensor  622  may be symmetrically arranged and the third tactile sensor  623  and the fourth tactile sensor  624  may be symmetrically arranged with respect to a first straight line A which passes the center point C. 
     In addition, the first tactile sensor  621  and the fourth tactile sensor  624  may be symmetrically arranged and the second tactile sensor  622  and the third tactile sensor  623  may be symmetrically arranged with respect to a second straight line B which passes the center point C. When the first through fourth tactile sensors  621  to  624  are thus symmetrically arranged, the mechanical deformation of the surgery tool  600  may be more accurately detected. 
       FIG. 7  includes sectional view of a surgery tool that includes a temperature sensor  715 . The surgery tool is structured in the same manner as in  FIG. 6 . That is, the surgery tool  700  may include a first tactile sensor  711 , a second tactile sensor  712 , a third tactile sensor  713 , and a fourth tactile sensors  714  mounted on an inner surface of a cylindrical portion  700  extending from one end of the surgery tool. The surgery tool may further include a temperature sensor  715 . 
     The first through fourth tactile sensors  711  to  714  may be arranged in the same manner as the tactile sensors shown in  FIG. 6 . The temperature sensor  715  may be disposed in an inner center of the surgery tool. The FBG sensor used as a tactile sensor may also be used as the temperature sensor  715 . Here, the internal center of the surgery tool may be least affected by the mechanical deformation of the surgery tool. When the temperature sensor  715  is mounted in close contact with the inner surface or the outer surface of the surgery tool, the temperature sensor may react more sensitively to the mechanical deformation than to the temperature variation and thus, may fail to accurately detect the temperature. Therefore, the temperature sensor  715  is disposed in the inner center of the surgery tool to detect the temperature variation of the surgery tool and generate a temperature signal. 
     The slave robot may combine the tactile signal generated by the first through fourth tactile sensors  711  to 714  with the temperature signal generated by the temperature sensor  715 . Additionally, the slave robot may convert the combination signal into an electrical signal and transmit the electrical signal to the master robot. 
       FIG. 8  is a diagram illustrating the user operator  220  that provides tactile feedback. Referring to  FIG. 8 , the user operator  220  is connected to the master robot by a connector  224 . The connector  224  may be moved according to the operation of the user operator  220  by the user. The user operator  220  may be structured for the user to pinch or grip. 
     When the user pinching or gripping the user operator  220  performs a hand closing motion or redirects the user operator  220 , the user operator  220  generates a corresponding control signal. The control signal is adapted to control operation of the surgery tool. The user operator  220  includes the tactile reproduction actuator  221  and the temperature value generator  222 . 
     The tactile reproduction actuator  221  reproduces the tactile signal received from the slave robot. Specifically, the tactile reproduction actuator  221  may be formed on the overall surface which contacts a hand of the user. That is, the tactile reproduction actuator  221  may be formed on the surface to be brought into contact with at least one of a palm, a thumb, an index finger, a middle finger, a ring finger, and a little finger of the user and may reproduce the tactile signal partially or overall. For example, when the tactile signal corresponds to an operation of pinching the surgery region by the surgery tool  120 , the tactile reproduction actuator  221  may operate only at parts corresponding to the thumb and the index finger and generate the tactile signal. 
     The tactile reproduction actuator  221  may generate the tactile signal in consideration of a gripping force applied to the user operator  220  by the user. For example, assuming that the tactile signal is a pressure signal corresponding to an operation of pressing the surgery region and a size of the pressure signal is 1, when the gripping force of the user holding the user operator  220  is 0.5, the tactile reproduction actuator  221  may reproduce a tactile signal corresponding to the pressure of 0.5. However, assuming that the size of the pressure signal is 1, when the gripping force of the user holding the user operator  220  is 0, the tactile reproduction actuator  221  may reproduce a tactile signal corresponding to the pressure of 1. 
     The temperature value generator  222  separates the temperature signal from the tactile signal and generates a temperature value corresponding to the temperature signal. The temperature value generator  222  may be disposed at a lower portion of the tactile reproduction actuator  221 , on the overall surface contacting the hand of the user. Therefore, even when the hand of the user is contacting only a part of the user operator  220 , the user is able to feel the temperature generated from the temperature value generator  222 . 
     While performing surgery using the user operator  220 , the user may simultaneously feel the tactile sense and the temperature felt by the surgery tool  120  from the surgery region. Therefore, the user may perform palpation through the tactile feedback even when using the surgery robot system. Thus, the user may be aware of a contacting force of surgery tools applied to the surgery region. Consequently, the user may control a force for operating the user operator  220  so that tissues of the surgery region are not damaged. In addition, the user may be able to detect abnormal tissues through the palpation. 
       FIG. 9  is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing tactile feedback according to example embodiments. The surgery robot system includes the slave robot  100  mounted with the surgery tool  120 , and the master robot  200  to control the operation of the surgery tool  120 . The surgery robot system enables the performance of surgery using the robots  100  and  200 . 
     The slave robot  100  and the master robot  200  perform surgery on the patient by transceiving signals with each other, and by providing the tactile feedback. 
     First, when the user operator  220  is operated, the master robot  200  generates a control signal to control the operation of the surgery tool  120  in operation  910 . The master robot  200  transmits the control signal to the slave robot  100  in operation  915 . The slave robot  100  operates the surgery tool  120  in accordance with the control signal received from the master robot  200  in operation  920 . 
     Upon detecting contact between the surgery tool  120  and the surgery region in operation  925 , the slave robot  100  generates a tactile signal using the tactile sensor  121  in operation  930 . The slave robot  100  converts the tactile signal into an electrical signal to be transmitted to the master robot  200  in operation  935 . Additionally, the slave robot  100  generates a temperature signal using the temperature sensor  122  in operation  940 . In operation  945 , the slave robot  100  combines the temperature signal with the tactile signal generated in operation  930 . Next, the slave robot  100  transmits the combination tactile signal combined with the temperature signal to the master robot  200  in operation  950 . 
     The master robot  200  separates the temperature signal from the tactile signal received from the slave robot  100  in operation  955 . Next, the master robot  200  generates the temperature value corresponding to the separated temperature signal using the temperature value generator  222  provided in the user operator  220  in operation  960 . In addition, the master robot  200  adjusts the signal level of the tactile signal not containing the temperature signal in operation  965 , such that the tactile signal is processable by the master robot  200 , and then drives the tactile reproduction actuator  221  to reproduce the level-adjusted tactile signal in operation  970 . 
     The master robot  200  may adjust the signal level of the tactile signal using a predetermined algorithm. For example, for adjustment of the signal level, the tactile signal may be mapped to a linear function or a log function. 
       FIG. 10  is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing a tactile feedback according to other example embodiments. The method of  FIG. 10  may be embodied by the surgery apparatus  300  shown in  FIG. 3 . Referring to  FIG. 10 , when a user operator  350  connected to a main body of the surgery apparatus  300  is operated, the surgery apparatus  300  generates a control signal for controlling operation of a surgery tool  310 , in operation  1100 . 
     Next, the surgery apparatus  300  operates the surgery tool  310  in accordance with the control signal in operation  1200 . When the user operator  350  is moved rightward by a first distance by the user operation, the surgery apparatus  300  may generate a control signal denoting the rightward moved distance. In addition, according to the control signal, the surgery apparatus  300  operates the surgery tool  310  rightward by the first distance. 
     When the surgery tool  310  contacts the surgery region during the surgery in operation  1300 , the surgery apparatus  300  generates a tactile signal using the tactile sensor  311  provided in the surgery tool  310  in operation  1400 . The surgery apparatus  300  generates the tactile signal using the tactile reproduction actuator  351  of the user operator  350  in operation  1500 . The surgery apparatus  300  generates the tactile signal by detecting the contact between the surgery tool and the surgery region, and provides the user with tactile feedback by reproducing the tactile signal. By using tactile feedback, the user may control the force applied to the tissues of the surgery region and detect abnormal tissues, invisible to the naked eye, by palpation. 
     The methods according to the above-described example embodiments may be recorded in non-transitory computer-readable media including program instructions to implement various operations embodied by a computer. The media may also include, alone or in combination with the program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like. The program instructions recorded on the media may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the example embodiments, or they may be of any kind of well-known program instructions available to those having skill in the computer software arts. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD ROM disks and DVDs; magneto-optical media such as optical disks; and hardware devices that are specially configured to store and perform program instructions, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, and the like. The media may be transfer media such as optical lines, metal lines, or waveguides including a carrier wave for transmitting a signal designating the program command and the data construction. Examples of program instructions include both machine code, such as produced by a compiler, and files containing higher level code that may be executed by the computer using an interpreter. The described hardware devices may be configured to act as one or more software modules in order to perform the operations of the above-described example embodiments, or vice versa. 
     Although example embodiments have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these example embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.