Ergonomics-based Design of Handheld Concentric Tube Robot

Abstract

Concentric tube robots are highly flexible and easy to enter body through natural orifices or small incisions. Therefore, they have great application prospects in the field of minimally invasive surgery. At present, concentric tube robots are usually remotely operated master-slave devices, which are flexible but large and heavy. In this paper, a handheld con-centric tube robot is proposed for nasal cyst drainage surgery. Roller gears are used to make the transmission mechanism more compact for handheld. The introduction of the ball gear mechanism and the ergonomic design of the structure allow the surgeons to use the device more easily and comfortably during surgical tasks. The ball gear mechanism allows the Nitinol tube to be bent from the base, thus greatly extending the workspace of the end-effector. The rotation of the ball joint relieves the user of uncomfortable bending of the wrist and arm to keep the Nitinol tube pointed in a specific position, thus avoiding musculoskeletal pain or injury from long-term use. Ergonomics-based design makes the device more humane and conducive to promotion and use in surgeries. In addition, an intuitive operation pattern is proposed to steer the end-effector position in real time.