Medical Robot Haptic Control via Neutral Axis Input
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical collaborative robots lack intuitive and safe control methods, often requiring mental effort and susceptibility to errors due to the use of external control consoles and buttons, which can lead to unintentional movements during surgical interventions.
Innovation Solution
Integration of haptic interaction units on the robot arm or end effector with a neutral axis aligned parallel to the end effector or robot arm segment axis, allowing for intuitive and safe control through input means like joysticks or 3D mice, which provide direct feedback and control over the robot's position and orientation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If external control consoles with operating buttons are used to control the robot, then the robot can be controlled remotely, but haptic feedback from the robot controller is completely lost and the surgeon must perform high level mental connection between coordinate systems
Solution Approach 1:
The control device is merged with the robot arm by mounting it on a robot arm segment or the end effector itself. This integration allows the control device to move together with the robot arm segment, providing intuitive haptic feedback while maintaining control functionality, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated control device provides direct haptic feedback to the surgeon during operation. The control device moves with the robot arm segment, giving the surgeon tactile information about the robot's position and status, which reduces mental effort and error susceptibility while maintaining control capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If torque sensors are built into robot hinges to enable force measurement and control, then the user can interact with robot parts through force application, but unintentional contact can trigger unintentional and uncontrollable movements
Solution Approach 1:
The control functionality is extracted from the robot hinges and placed in a separate control device that is integrated with the robot arm segment. This separation allows force measurement and control capabilities to be maintained while eliminating the risk of unintentional hinge movements, as the control device can detect forces without directly actuating the hinges.
3Ease of operation
If the control device is located away from the moving segments of the robot, then remote control is possible, but haptic feedback from the robot controller is completely lost
Solution Approach 1:
The control device is merged with a robot arm segment or end effector, moving together with it during robot operation. This integration provides direct haptic feedback to the surgeon while maintaining relatively simple device architecture, as the control device leverages the existing robot structure rather than requiring completely separate positioning mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A medical robot for actuating a medical end effector includes a base; a movable arm connected to the base with at least one arm segment; an end effector connected to the arm with an end effector axis; and a control unit adapted to control the arm. The medical robot has an input mechanism with a neutral axis adapted to detect as input at least one force applied to the input mechanism transversely to the neutral axis in at least two opposite directions and convert the input to a control command for controlling a position and/or orientation of the end effector and/or the arm segment. An axis of the input mechanism is arranged parallel to the end-effector axis and/or to a longitudinal axis of the arm segment. A surgical assistance system, a control method and a computer-readable storage medium can be used with the robot.