Force-Feedback Surgical Teleoperator: Controller Design and Palpation Experiments

In this paper, we develop and test a 6-degree-of-freedom surgical teleoperator that has four possible modes of operation: (1) direct force feedback, (2) graphical force feedback, (3) direct and graphical force feedback together, and (4) no force feedback. In all cases, visual feedback of the: environment is provided via a head-mounted display. A position-position controller with local dynamic compensators provides the direct force feedback. The graphical force feedback is overlaid on the environment image, and displays a bar whose height and color is related to the environment force estimated using the current applied to the actuators of the patient-side arm. We evaluate the performance of the teleoperator modes in assisting a user to find the location of stiff objects hidden inside a soft material, similar to a calcified artery hidden in heart tissue and a tumor in the prostate. Seven people used the teleoperator t:o perform palpation in these materials. Results showed that direct force feedback mode minimizes palpation task error for the heart model.