Robot tool retraction

Abstract

A robot comprising: a base; a flexible arm extending from the base and having: a plurality of joints whereby the configuration of the arm can be altered, a plurality of drivers arranged to drive the joints to move, and an attachment structure for attaching a tool to the arm; and a control unit configured to control the drivers and to receive inputs from sensors, and operable in a mode in which, whilst a tool is attached to the attachment structure and captive in a port, it: (i) controls the drivers to permit the arm to be reconfigured by the action of an external force applied to the arm so as to cause the tool to be retracted from the port along a longitudinal axis of the tool; and (ii) on receiving sensor input indicating that the arm has been reconfigured so as to cause the tool to be retracted from the port along a longitudinal axis of the tool, controls the drivers to reconfigure the arm so as to agitate the tool transverse to the longitudinal axis of the tool.

Description

[0001]This invention relates to a robot and control of that robot's movement of an attached tool.BACKGROUND[0002]FIG. 1 illustrates a surgical robot 1 in the course of performing an invasive medical procedure on a patient 9. The robot comprises an arm 2 which is articulated by means of multiple flexible joints 3 along its length. At the distal end 4 of the arm is a surgical tool. The surgical tool has a thin elongate shaft 5 with a device 6 at its distal end for engaging in the medical procedure. The device could, for example, be a cutting, grasping or imaging device. The surgical tool is attached to the arm via a wrist joint 3a of the arm. The wrist joint is configurable to adjust the direction in which the shaft 5 extends whilst the majority of the arm 2 remains static. The surgical tool is inserted into the patient's body through a surgical port 7.[0003]During the procedure, an incision is made through the skin of the patient, and the port manually pushed into place. The port com...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent text is describing a control unit that can adjust the angle of a tool by moving the attachment structure of the tool relative to its base. The technical effect of this invention is to improve the performance of the tool by allowing for better agitation and control during use.

Problems solved by technology

In another example, this may happen as a result of the tool getting caught in the port, for example the device at the distal end of the tool may get caught in the port.

If the port pulls out of the body, this can cause tearing and damage of the skin and tissues surrounding the incision.

Additionally, such an event can cause disruption to the ongoing medical procedure and damage to the surgical site inside the body, particularly if there are still some instruments inside the body which passed through the affected port.

It also means that a port is only able to be used by a particular robot arm, so in a procedure which uses multiple robot arms, they would need to access the surgical site via different ports.

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