title: A surgical parallel continuum manipulator with a cable-driven grasper.
abstract: In this paper, we present the design, construction, and control of a six-degree-of-freedom (DOF), 12 mm diameter, parallel continuum manipulator with a 2-DOF, cable-driven grasper. This work is a proof-of-concept first step towards miniaturization of this type of manipulator design to provide increased dexterity and stability in confined-space surgical applications, particularly for endoscopic procedures. Our robotic system consists of six superelastic NiTi (Nitinol) tubes in a standard Stewart-Gough configuration and an end effector with 180 degree motion of its two jaws. Two Kevlar cables pass through the centers of the tube legs to actuate the end effector. A computationally efficient inverse kinematics model provides low-level control inputs to ten independent linear actuators, which drive the Stewart-Gough platform and end-effector actuation cables. We demonstrate the performance and feasibility of this design by conducting open-loop range-of-motion tests for our system.
authors.forename: Andrew L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Orekhov
authors.forename: Caroline E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Bryson
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Till
authors.forename: Scotty
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: D Caleb
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Rucker
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D004867:Equipment Design; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D009038:Motion; D013523:Surgical Equipment