Force reflection for a laparoscopic forceps

Abstract

Together with new developments of surgical procedures, new instruments are being developed. Minimally invasive surgery is a modern field of surgery, where application of telemanipulation systems can improve accuracy and ease of operating. This article describes some concerning the implementation of telemanipulation techniques for laparoscopic surgery. An important feature is the reflection of the force exerted by a forceps on tissue to the surgeon. A force reflection scheme for laparoscopic forceps is described, which is successfully used in other fields of robotics: the position-error-based force reflection scheme. A system is being developed where a forceps, driven by a DC-motor/spindle combination, is used as a slave device, and a DC-motor with a handle is used as a master device. The system is controlled with a force reflection scheme implemented on a transputer system. The slave is position controlled and the master is force controlled.