Robot Kinematic Design Studies for Natural Orifice Surgery

Abstract

This paper presents kinematic aspects of a multifunctional robotic manipulator for use in natural orifice surgery. A literature review of some existing surgical robots is presented. The robot folding configurations for insertion/removal are described. The kinematics and workspace of the robotic manipulator and their application in a space-constrained environment are explored as well. The main goal is to find out the best way to fully utilize limited degrees of freedom in the robot arms local to the surgical site as well as additional motions provided by the hyper-redundant, underactuated articulated drive mechanism, in order to provide the dexterity and workspace required for typical surgical interventions.