A miniature microsurgical instrument tip force sensor for enhanced force feedback during robot-assisted manipulation

Author

Berkelman, Peter J. ; Whitcomb, Louis L. ; Taylor, Russell H. ; Jensen, Patrick

Author_Institution

TIMC-IMAG Lab., Inst. Albert Bonniot, La Tronche, France

Volume

19

Issue

5

fYear

2003

Firstpage

917

Lastpage

921

Abstract

This paper reports the development of a new miniature force sensor designed to measure contact forces at the tip of a microsurgical instrument in three dimensions, and its application to scaled force feedback using a cooperatively manipulated microsurgical assistant robot. The principal features of the sensor are its small size of 12.5 mm in diameter and 15 mm in height, a novel configuration of flexure beams and strain gauges in order to measure forces isotropically at the instrument tip 40 mm from the sensor body, and sub-mN three-axis force-sensing resolution.

Keywords

force feedback; medical robotics; microsensors; surgery; contact forces; medical robotics; microelectromechanical systems; microsurgical assistant robot; microsurgical instrument; miniature force sensor; robot-assisted manipulation; robotic manipulators; scaled force feedback; Capacitive sensors; Force feedback; Force measurement; Force sensors; Instruments; Microsurgery; Robot sensing systems; Sensor phenomena and characterization; Strain measurement; Surgery;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Robotics and Automation, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1042-296X

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TRA.2003.817526

Filename

1236765