S-Surge: A Portable Surgical Robot Based on a Novel Mechanism With Force-Sensing Capability for Robotic Surgery

Abstract

In order to create a compact and lightweight surgical robot with force-sensing capability, in this chapter, we propose a surgical robot called “S-surge,” which was developed for robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery, with a primary focus on its machinery design and force-sensing system. The robot consists of a four degrees-of-freedom (DoF) surgical instrument and a three DoF remote center-of-motion manipulator. The manipulator adopts a double parallelogram mechanism and spherical parallel mechanism design, which have the advantages of a compact structure, simplicity, high precision, and high rigidity. A kinematic analysis is conducted to optimize the workspace. The surgical instruments enable multiaxis force sensing, including three-axis pulling force and single-axis gripping force. In this study, it will be verified that it is feasible to carry the entire robot owing to its light weight (4.7kg), thus allowing the robot to be used for telesurgery in remote areas. Finally, we will explain how we can use the robot’s motion- and force-sensing capabilities to simulate robot performance and perform tissue manipulation tasks in a simulated surgical environment. © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.