Towards haptics enabled surgical robotic system for NOTES

Haptics feedback is a potential enhancement for surgeon´s performance in robotic surgery. In this paper, we attempted to tackle the challenges in this application from three aspects: haptic information acquisition, design of a haptics enabled master console and system control. Taking the MASTER (Master And Slave Transluminal Endoscopic Robot) system as an example, we shared our solutions and concerns in designing a haptic enabled robotic system specifically for NOTES. By analyzing the driving mechanism of the system, a method was proposed to estimate the forces at the distal end (end-effectors) by measuring the forces at the proximal end (actuator housing). To implement this method, a force transmission model was developed for tendon-sheath actuation with unknown arbitrary configurations. With the presence of haptic feedback, it appears that the position control of the system also could be improved. It is hoped that this robotic system enhanced with haptic feedback could help to pave the way to the introduction of clinical NOTES.