Real-time singularity controller for a tele-operated medical echography robot

This paper presents a tele-operated robot built within the OTELO European project framework. This six degree-of-freedom non-redundant probe-holder robot with a remote center of motion is dedicated to robotized medical tele-echography. The mechanical structure, chosen by end-users´ specifications, presents a self-motion singularity within the working space of the medical expert. A strategy has been developed to counter the effect of the singularity located in the centre of the working space based on an real-time singularity control of the robotic tele-operated system. Thanks to the implementation of this real-time control, several clinical tele-echography tests have been successfully performed where medical specialists were able to propose a diagnosis in 80% of the studied cases.