Determine the robot assistive forces based on human intent estimation in bone cutting applications

Robots can provide real-time bone cutting assistance on various operational conditions. A human intent estimation together with a bilateral force control has been designed to assist the surgeon in total knee replacement. Different admittance gains are online adjusted based on estimated human intent, followed by the robot to exert appropriate forces to the cutter, either pushing or pulling forces so that the bone cutting can be carried out in easier, safer and more precise way. Experiments show that the proposed control structure is promising to meet the clinical needs for real-time bone cutting assistance.