A Robotic System with Robust Remote Center of Motion Constraint for Endometrial Regeneration Surgery

Surgical robots have been widely used in diferent procedures to improve and facilitate the surgery.However,there is no robot designed for endometrial regeneration surgery,which is a new therapy for restoring fertility in women using stem cells.Endometrial regeneration surgery requires processing of the endometrium and transplantation of stem cells with minimal trauma to the uterus.In this paper,we introduce a surgical robotic system that consists of a dexterous hysteroscope,supporting arm,and additional novel instruments to facilitate the operation and decrease trauma to the uterus.Remote center of motion(RCM)constraint is required to protect the cervix of the uterus.First,the supporting arm and hysteroscope are controlled separately in kinematics to ensure that the RCM constraint and hysteroscope’s shape and posture are predictable.Then,a task-decoupled method is used to improve the robustness of the RCM constraint.Experiments confrm that the proposed method is more robust and achieves higher RCM accuracy.In addition,the master-slave control of a robot with RCM constraint is also verifed.This study proposes the realization of a robot with robust RCM control for endometrial regeneration surgery.

State of the art in movement around a remote point:a review of remote center of motion in robotics

The concept of remote center of motion(RCM)is pivotal in a myriad of robotic applications,encompa-ssing areas such as medical robotics,orientation devices,and exoskeletal systems.The efficacy of RCM technology is a determining factor in the success of these robotic domains.This paper offers an exhaustive review of RCM technologies,elaborating on their various methodologies and practical implementations.It delves into the unique characteristics of RCM across different degrees of freedom(DOFs),aiming to distill their fundamental principles.In addition,this paper categorizes RCM approaches into two primary classifications:design based and control based.These are further organized according to their respective DOFs,providing a concise summary of their core methodologies.Building upon the understanding of RCM’s versatile capabilities,this paper then transitions to an in-depth exploration of its applications across diverse robotic fields.Concluding this review,we critically analyze the existing research challenges and issues that are inherently present in both RCM methodologies and their applications.This discussion is intended to serve as a guiding framework for future research endeavors and practical deployments in related areas.

An effective algorithm for needle tip displacement compensation in robot-assisted percutaneous surgery

This paper presents an automatic compensation algorithm for needle tip displacement in order to keep the needle tip always fixed at the skin entry point in the process of needle orientation in robot-assisted percutaneous surgery. The algorithm, based on a two-degree-of-freedom （2-DOF） robot wrist （not the mechanically constrained remote center of motion （RCM） mechanism） and a 3-DOF robot ann, firstly calculates the needle tip displacement caused by rotational motion of robot wrist in the arm coordinate frame using the robotic forward kinematics, and then inversely compensates for the needle tip displace- ment by real-time Cartesian motion of robot arm. The algorithm achieves the function of the RCM and eliminates many mechanical and virtual constraints caused by the RCM mechanism. Experimental result demonstrates that the needle tip displacement is within 1 inm in the process of needle orientation.