A triple‐jaw actuated and sensorized instrument for grasping large organs during minimally invasive robotic surgery

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Secure grasping and effective manipulation of delicate large organs during robotic surgery operations needs especially designed instruments that can enclose a large amount of tissue and feed back the pinch forces. METHODS: A large organ triple-jaw grasper was instrumented using practical force sensory and actuating systems. A force tracking scheme was proposed to facilitate auto-grasping of large organs during robotic teleoperation surgery. An on-site force commanding/reflecting mechanism was also implemented to use the device as an independent hand-held robotic instrument. The efficacy of the robotic grasper was examined in phantom tests. RESULTS: The instrument grasped large soft objects effectively and safely with accurately measured and controlled pinch forces. Furthermore, it could characterize the overall mechanical behavior of the grasping objects. CONCLUSIONS: The instrument designed provides a potential solution for the safe and effective grasping and manipulation of large abdominal organs, either as a hand-held device, or in a teleoperation framework.