Title :
Hand-held microsurgical forceps with force-feedback for micromanipulation
Author :
Payne, Christopher J. ; Rafii-Tari, Hedyeh ; Marcus, Hani J. ; Guang-Zhong Yang
Author_Institution :
Hamlyn Centre for Robotic Surg., Imperial Coll. London, London, UK
fDate :
May 31 2014-June 7 2014
Abstract :
This paper presents a hand-held microsurgical forceps design with force-feedback capabilities designed for micromanipulation tasks. The device uses a customized force sensor that measures grasping forces over a range of 0-300mN and uses an actuator to exert amplified forces back on to the operator´s fingertip in a mechanically-ungrounded setup. This allows perception of low force levels that are otherwise imperceptible to human touch. A customized force sensor design for the forceps grasping measurement is presented and a calibration experiment was conducted to validate its linearity and repeatability. A bench test of the device was conducted to demonstrate its intrinsic force-amplifying capabilities, with amplification factors of up to ×50 reported. A user study was conducted to confirm that the device could significantly improve human perception of grasping forces compared to conventional microsurgical forceps with the results demonstrating an order-of-magnitude improvement in force perception.
Keywords :
calibration; force feedback; force sensors; medical robotics; micromanipulators; surgery; bench test; calibration experiment; customized force sensor design; force-feedback capabilities; forceps grasping measurement; grasping forces; hand-held microsurgical forceps design; human perception; intrinsic force-amplifying capabilities; low force level perception; mechanically-ungrounded setup; micromanipulation; order-of-magnitude improvement; Force; Force measurement; Grasping; Microsurgery; Sensors; Springs;
Conference_Titel :
Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2014 IEEE International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Hong Kong
DOI :
10.1109/ICRA.2014.6906623