Development of an integrated torque sensor-motor module for haptic feedback in teleoperated robot-assisted surgery

In robot-assisted surgery, haptic feedback is ongoing issue. The breaking of surgical suture material and the damage of tissue are avoidable with haptic feedback. This paper is proposing to add haptic feedback in the da Vinci like robot using unmodified da Vinci surgical instrument. To overcome the restriction of space and difficulty in measuring the force at the end-effector, the torque sensor-motor integrated module is developed. The proposed torque sensor-motor module has a totally integrated design that can replace a nominal motor. It also shows linear stress-strain relation and inherent high sensitivity.