Robotic Arm Collision Avoidance Using Predicted Link Distances
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robotic arm collisions during medical procedures pose a challenge in robotically-enabled medical systems, particularly in laparoscopic and endoscopic surgeries, due to the movement of robotic arms towards each other or other objects in the environment.
Innovation Solution
A robotic medical system with a first and second set of links, a console, a processor, and computer-readable memory that models the links, allowing for the control and prevention of collisions by determining distances between the links and implementing actions to avoid collisions when the distance falls below a cutoff threshold.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If robotic arms are allowed to move freely to improve operational flexibility, then ease of operation is improved, but collision risk increases reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary collision detection by calculating predicted positions of robotic arm links before actual movement occurs. The processor computes distances between links using a model of the robotic system, and prevents collision by blocking motion commands that would result in harmful positions, thereby maintaining operational flexibility while ensuring reliability.
2Reliability
If collision detection and prevention systems are implemented to improve safety, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a computational model (copy) of the robotic system rather than physical sensors throughout the robotic arms. The processor maintains a model of the robotic system including links and their positions, and performs collision detection by calculating distances between links in the model, thereby improving safety without significantly increasing physical device complexity.
3Measurement precision
If the cutoff distance threshold is reduced to improve collision detection precision, then measurement precision is improved, but the system becomes more sensitive to minor movements increasing false positives
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the cutoff distance threshold based on the specific configuration and operational context. The processor determines whether a predicted position is harmful by comparing the distance between links to the cutoff distance, and may adjust this threshold to balance detection precision with false positive reduction, thereby optimizing collision detection performance.
Data Source
AI summary
In examples, a robotic medical system comprises a link of a robotic arm and a processor configured to control movement of the link based on a received input; determine a distance between the link and another object during the movement; and, responsive to the distance being within a threshold, adjust the movement of the link to avoid a collision between the link and the another object.