Virtual fixture control of a hybrid parallel-serial robot for assisting ophthalmic surgery: An experimental study

This paper presents the virtual fixture control methods for a hybrid parallel-serial micromanipulator, which is designed for assisting ophthalmic surgeons. Virtual fixtures are features of surgical robotic setups to improve quality of the surgery and reduces the operation risk. In the domain of ophthalmic surgery lack of virtual fixtures in manual operations has limited, and sometimes even blocked, the treatment options. The contribution of this paper is concept analysis and implementation of flexible virtual fixture for the novel hybrid parallel-serial mechanism and experimentally evaluation of this concept. The virtual fixture using this mechanism enables the user to adjust them even during the procedure. Pivoting around a Remote Center of Motion (RCM), which in retinal surgery is the incision point, is the most famous virtual fixture of ophthalmic surgery. Autonomous RCM adjustment for Vitreo-Retinal surgery, implying retinal reachability study, is the secondary contribution which is investigated in this paper.