Surgical Robot Hybrid Active Passive Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Surgical robots lack adaptability to varying patient sizes and surgical procedures, requiring a more flexible and space-efficient design that can complement human skills while ensuring precision and safety in unstructured surgical environments.
Innovation Solution
A surgical robot with a tool holder mounted to a base through series linking members with joints providing at least seven degrees of freedom, including a prismatic joint for linear motion, an arc-shaped sliding joint for curved motion, and motor-driven revolute joints for active-passive hybrid control, allowing for enhanced precision, safety, and reduced setup time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a surgical robot uses industrial robot design with fixed environment assumptions, then the robot can perform pre-programmed tasks repeatedly, but it lacks adaptability to different patients and surgical procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The control system dynamically switches between passive control mode (for pre-programmed tasks) and active control mode (for adaptive adjustments), allowing the robot to adapt to different surgical scenarios without requiring complete reprogramming. The passive control mode maintains structural rigidity for precision, while active control mode introduces flexibility through real-time feedback from sensors and force control mechanisms.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a surgical robot consumes large space in the operating room, then it can accommodate complex mechanisms, but it interferes with medical staff movement and operations
Solution Approach 1:
The robot employs a nested structure where the tool holder and surgical instruments can be retracted into the main body when not in use, minimizing the footprint in the operating room. The series-parallel hybrid mechanism allows compact folding configurations that reduce spatial occupation while maintaining full workspace coverage when deployed.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot utilizes vertical space through a scissor-like mechanism that extends the workspace upward rather than outward, allowing comprehensive surgical access without increasing the horizontal footprint. The parallel mechanism provides large workspace in three dimensions while keeping the base footprint minimal.
3Measurement precision
If a surgical robot uses only passive control mode, then it can be operated manually with surgeon feedback, but it lacks autonomous precision and consistency
Solution Approach 1:
The robot integrates force sensors and position sensors that provide real-time feedback to the control system. In passive control mode, force feedback allows the surgeon to feel resistance and tissue properties, maintaining tactile awareness. In active control mode, position feedback ensures precise trajectory following and automatic compensation for deviations, achieving high precision without excessive operator effort.
4Measurement precision
If a surgical robot uses only active control mode, then it can move autonomously with high precision, but it reduces human intervention capability and adaptability
Solution Approach 1:
The control system dynamically switches between passive control mode (allowing full human intervention) and active control mode (providing autonomous precision). This dynamic adaptability allows the surgeon to intervene when unexpected situations arise while maintaining high precision through automated control during routine procedures. The hybrid architecture enables seamless transition between manual and autonomous operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical robot with seven degrees of freedom, including various types of joints, offers a hybrid active-passive control for operation both manually and by programmed navigation. One of the degrees of freedom allows the robot to be moved efficiently around the axis of a patient's body to provide ample workspace for surgical procedures in an operating room.