Abstract
We have developed a made-to-order surgery support manipulator with a sensing function for the mechanical characteristics of internal organs that can be customized based on the maximum grasping force for each patient. The purpose of this study is to develop elasticity-sensing forceps using the phase difference of the stepper motor. We proposed a new gripper to measure automatically the elasticity defined as the spring constant K. We showed the measurement method and the system concept composed of a gripper and a display. We made two prototypes of the gripper: a bevel geared gripper with single jaw and a rack-and-pinion gripper of long axis with a pair of jaws. The display showed the five values using blocks. To evaluate the prototype, it was used to measure K for seven fresh in vitro dog organs. These results were compared with the value measured by a material testing machine.
