Kinematics, control and workspace analysis of a bowden wire actuated manipulator for minimally invasive single-port surgery

This work presents the kinematics and control of a 6DOF manipulator for single-port surgery. Two such highly versatile manipulators and a semi-rigid telescope are combined in a unit that can be inserted through a 30mm incision into the abdominal cavity. A velocity-based task-space control was implemented in a simulation environment to evaluate the kinematics of the manipulator and position control of the instruments. The manipulators are operated with two space-mouse that are integrated as a new input device. An evaluation of the system in a pick-and-place scenario is also presented. Finally, a workspace analysis was accomplished to assess the capabilities and drawbacks of the realized system.