Tool actuation and force feedback on robot-assisted microsurgery system

An input control device with force sensors is configured to sense hand movements of a surgeon performing a robot-assisted microsurgery. The sensed hand movements actuate a mechanically decoupled robot manipulator. A microsurgical manipulator, attached to the robot manipulator, is activated to move small objects and perform microsurgical tasks. A force-feedback element coupled to the robot manipulator and the input control device provides the input control device with an amplified sense of touch in the microsurgical manipulator

Microsurgery robots: addressing the needs of high-precision surgical interventions

Robots can help surgeons perform better quality operations, leading to reductions in the hospitalisation time of patients and in the impact of surgery on their postoperative quality of life

Toward a Millimeter-Scale Tendon-Driven Continuum Wrist with Integrated Gripper for Microsurgical Applications

Microsurgery is a particularly impactful yet challenging form of surgery. Robot assisted microsurgery has the potential to improve surgical dexterity and enable precise operation on such small scales in ways not previously possible. Intraocular microsurgery is a particularly challenging domain in part due to the lack of dexterity that is achievable with rigid instruments inserted through the eye. In this work, we present a new design for a millimeter-scale, dexterous wrist intended for microsurgery applications. The wrist is created via a state-of-the-art two-photon-polymerization (2PP) microfabrication technique, enabling the wrist to be constructed of flexible material with complex internal geometries and critical features at the micron-scale. The wrist features a square cross section with side length of 1.25 mm and total length of 3.75 mm. The wrist has three tendons routed down its length which, when actuated by small-scale linear actuators, enable bending in any plane. We present an integrated gripper actuated by a fourth tendon routed down the center of the robot. We evaluate the wrist and gripper by characterizing its bend-angle. We achieve more than 90 degrees bending in both axes. We demonstrate out of plane bending as well as the robot's ability to grip while actuated. Our integrated gripper/tendon-driven continuum robot design and meso-scale assembly techniques have the potential to enable small-scale wrists with more dexterity than has been previously demonstrated. Such a wrist could improve surgeon capabilities during teleoperation with the potential to improve patient outcomes in a variety of surgical applications, including intraocular surgery.Comment: 2 pages, 3 figures, submitted to the 2023 Hamlyn Symposium on Medical Robotics conferenc

Modularity in robotic systems

Most robotic systems today are designed one at a time, at a high cost of time and money. This wasteful approach has been necessary because the industry has not established a foundation for the continued evolution of intelligent machines. The next generation of robots will have to be generic, versatile machines capable of absorbing new technology rapidly and economically. This approach is demonstrated in the success of the personal computer, which can be upgraded or expanded with new software and hardware at virtually every level. Modularity is perceived as a major opportunity to reduce the 6 to 7 year design cycle time now required for new robotic manipulators, greatly increasing the breadth and speed of diffusion of robotic systems in manufacturing. Modularity and its crucial role in the next generation of intelligent machines are the focus of interest. The main advantages that modularity provides are examined; types of modules needed to create a generic robot are discussed. Structural modules designed by the robotics group at the University of Texas at Austin are examined to demonstrate the advantages of modular design