Force Feedback Control of an Encountered-type Haptic Interface Using MR Fluid Based on Biaxial Forces Measured by a Surgical Instrument with a Single Strain Area

Abstract

This paper presents force feedback control of an encountered-type haptic interface using MR (Magneto-Rheological) fluid based on biaxial forces measured by a surgical instrument with a single strain area. The haptic interface is developed for a surgical simulator. Therefore, the interface is supposed to display forces pressing or cutting the biological tissues in a surgical operation. This paper focuses on retraction operation by using a suction tube that is a fundamental operation to provide a large area of visibility to the operator. The experiments show that the system can reproduce reference retraction force regardless of the attitude of the instrument.