Safety enhanced surgical robot for flexible ureteroscopy based on force feedback

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Although some robotic systems have been developed to improve conventional flexible ureteroscopy (FURS), a widely used intervention in urology, these robots rarely have a comprehensive force feedback function which is important for master-slave controlled surgical robots. METHODS: Here, we design and fabricate a novel FURS robot with a comprehensive force feedback function. Moreover, to realize better force feedback, a neural network-based method is also demonstrated to estimate the interactive forces between the flexible ureteroscope and the environment. RESULTS: We show that when teleoperating the flexible ureteroscope with our robot, the operator can accurately feel the obstruction if the interactive axial force or torque exceeds 1.2 N or 15.6 mN·m respectively. For bending movement, augmented force feedback greatly improves the accuracy of the operator's perception of obstruction. CONCLUSIONS: The developed robotic system with force feedback is expected to improve the safety of robot-assisted FURS.