Hand-held robotic instrument for dextrous laparoscopic interventions.
BACKGROUND
Surgical instruments used in many types of minimally invasive procedures are rigid or only limitedly flexible. Some common tasks like suturing, require precise and dextrous movements that are difficult to perform by means of instruments with limited degrees of freedom (DOF).


METHODS
A hand-held lightweight and ergonomic robotic instrument with a 3-DOF roll-pitch-roll end-effector has been developed, which can be controlled by the surgeon with one hand like a conventional instrument.


RESULTS
The instrument is composed by a handle part and an end-effector. The handle part has been developed taking into account a control mode study for laparoscopic instruments and it allows direct mapping between the orientation of handle and that of the end-effector.


CONCLUSIONS
The instrument presented is the result of a global study involving mechanical, electronic and ergonomic aspects, with the aim of developing an instrument that enhances the dexterity of the surgeon while having an intuitive interface.
Piccigallo
Marco
M
CRIM Laboratory, Scuola Supereriore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy. m.piccigallo@crim.sssup.it
Focacci
Francesco
F
Tonet
Oliver
O
Megali
Giuseppe
G
Quaglia
Claudio
C
Dario
Paolo
P
D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008328:Man-Machine Systems; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D013525:Surgical Instruments; D020535:Video-Assisted Surgery / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D014941:Work Simplification