A parallel robot to assist vitreoretinal surgery.
OBJECTIVE
This paper describes the development and evaluation of a parallel prototype robot for vitreoretinal surgery where physiological hand tremor limits performance.


METHODS
The manipulator was specifically designed to meet requirements such as size, precision, and sterilization; this has six-degree-of-freedom parallel architecture and provides positioning accuracy with micrometer resolution within the eye. The manipulator is controlled by an operator with a "master manipulator" consisting of multiple joints.


RESULTS
Results of the in vitro experiments revealed that when compared to the manual procedure, a higher stability and accuracy of tool positioning could be achieved using the prototype robot.


CONCLUSIONS
This microsurgical system that we have developed has superior operability as compared to traditional manual procedure and has sufficient potential to be used clinically for vitreoretinal surgery.
Nakano
Taiga
T
School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, Hongo Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan. nakano@nml.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Sugita
Naohiko
N
Ueta
Takashi
T
Tamaki
Yasuhiro
Y
Mitsuishi
Mamoru
M
D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000295:instrumentation; D013508:Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012160:Retina / Q000601:surgery*; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000601:surgery*