A novel low-friction manipulator for bimanual joint-level robot control and active constraints

The increasing number of degrees-of-freedom involved in new generations of surgical robotics and the need for incorporating active constraints and haptic feedback, require more intuitive and effective ways of robot control. This paper presents a novel manipulator that allows for ergonomic bimanual joint-level control of an anthropomorphic surgical robot. Through the combined use of bidirectional compressed airflow, the manipulator can operate on nearly zero friction and simulate a range of frictional forces. As a generic platform, the system can withstand large payloads and is able to accommodate a wide range of existing haptic manipulators. The performance of the proposed platform is evaluated with detailed experimental tests and proven to provide negligible friction even at high loads. Its dynamic friction is controllable and positional locking can be flexibly applied. Detailed experimental results demonstrate the practical value of the system.