title: Compact forceps manipulator using friction wheel mechanism and gimbals mechanism for laparoscopic surgery.
abstract: This paper reports evaluation of compact forceps manipulator designed for assisting laparoscopic surgery. The manipulator consists of two miniaturized parts; friction wheel mechanism which rotates and translates forceps (62 x 52 x 150[mm3], 0.6 [kg]), and gimbals mechanism which provides pivoting motion of forceps around incision hole on the abdomen (135 x 165 x 300 [mm3], 1.1 [kg]). The four-DOF motion of forceps around the incision hole on the abdomen in laparoscopic surgery is realized. By integration with robotized forceps or a needle insertion robot, it will work as a compact robotic arm in a master-slave system. It can also work under numerical control based on the computerized surgical planning. This table-mounted miniaturized manipulator contributes to the coexistence of clinical staffs and manipulators in the today's crowded operating room. As the results of mechanical performance evaluation with load of 4 [N], positioning accuracy was less than 1.2 [deg] in pivoting motion, less than 4 [deg] in rotation of forceps, less than 1.2 [mm] in longitudinal translation of forceps. As future works, we will modify mechanism for sterilization and safety improvement, and also integrate this manipulator with robotized forceps to build a surgery assisting robotic system.
authors: Institute of Environmental Studies, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan. t-suzuki@miki.pe.u-tokyo.ac.jp
authors: Takashi
authors: T
authors: Suzuki
authors: Youichi
authors: Y
authors: Katayama
authors: Etsuko
authors: E
authors: Kobayashi
authors: Ichiro
authors: I
authors: Sakuma