2D Silicon Macro-Force Sensor for Tele-Operated Surgical Instrument

In this paper we present a new type of 2-dimensional mechanical sensor designed to measure thrust and pull constraints and for direct integration inside surgical instrument jaws. The architecture of this sensor is close to micro-accelerometers using capacitive detection. The first prototype was mounted in a 5mm forceps jaws with the possibility to measure macro-forces in two directions. The design of this sensor is included in a French national laparoscopic robotic project named EndoXiroB¹. In this paper we describe the EndoXiroB project and the interest to use microtechnologies for surgical tools, followed by the presentation of the structure and the making of the force sensor. We will then detail the simulation and characterisation of its mechanical aspects, together with the calibration method.