Surgical Instruments Motion Safety Constraint Based on Haptic Virtual Fixture

Abstract

In order to improve the safety of master-slave control of minimally invasive surgical robots, a device motion constraint method based on self-defined shape virtual fixture (VF) is proposed, which allows operators to set different shapes of protected areas or guide paths according to the actual situation. By generating virtual fixture force feedback in the master hand space, surgical instruments can be prevented from entering protected areas or leaving safe paths in advance. Experiments show that the three haptic virtual fixtures designed are simple and effective, and can play a safe and protective role.