Multi-Degrees of Freedom Robotic tool with Remote Center of Motion for Laparoscopic Ultrasound Scan : Mechanical Structure and its Evaluation

Abstract

Robotic technology in the form of master-slave system provides dexterous motions in the confined workspace while increasing the accuracy in motion. Surgical robot is one example that the robotic technology has been successfully introduced in the market, and its applicable area is currently increasing. As an extension of the concept, we develop a laparoscopic manipulator to perform an ultrasonic scan in the abdominal cavity. The prototype was built as a hand-held device with three degree-of-freedom that can perform a dexterous ultrasonic scan in the confined abdominal cavity that has been difficult using conventional surgical tools. In this paper, we introduce the mechanical structure and its evaluation.