Design of adjustable constant-force forceps for robot-assisted surgical manipulation
Journal
Proceedings - IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation
Start Page
386
End Page
391
ISSN
10504729
ISBN (of the container)
9780818634529
9781728173955
0818634529
0818627204
9781479969234
0780365763
9780780389144
9781538660263
078034300X
9781612843865
Date Issued
2011
Author(s)
Wang, Jungyuan
Abstract
Force regulation is a challenging task of forceps used for robot-assisted surgical manipulation. To avoid excessive force applied on soft tissues, sophisticated sensors with computerized precise control are often required. Without using additional electronic elements, this paper presents a passive mechanism to maintain a constant contact force between forceps jaw tips and tissues given a pre-specified force magnitude. The mechanism consists of symmetric flexible structures specifically designed to generate a constant torque regardless of input rotation. The constant torque is converted to a constant force through an adjustable lever arm. When the force is further transmitted to jaw tips, it keeps a nearly constant contact force regardless of tissue stiffness and size. After a formulation to find the optimal mechanism configuration, the design is verified by comparing experiment and simulation results. A prototype of the adjustable constant-force forceps is finally illustrated and discussed. The novel forceps is expected to serve as a reliable alternative for robot-assisted surgeries.
Event(s)
2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2011
Subjects
Compliant Mechanism
Force Sensing
Medical Robots
Robot-assisted Surgery
Shape Design
Constant Contact
Constant Force
Constant Torque
Electronic Elements
Force Magnitude
Force Regulation
Force Sensing
Lever Arm
Medical Robots
Optimal Mechanism
Passive Mechanism
Precise Control
Robot-assisted Surgery
Shape Designs
Soft Tissue
Surgical Manipulation
Tissue Stiffness
Compliant Mechanisms
Flexible Structures
Machine Design
Mechanisms
Robotics
Robots
Surgery
Tissue
Surgical Equipment
Description
2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2011. Shanghai. conference code:94261
Type
conference paper