Development of Master-Slave Robot for Flexible Endoscope Operation

Abstract

Flexible endoscopic surgery in the field of internal medicine requires advanced technique. The master - slave robot supports insertion of a flexible endoscope. The robot allows forward and backward movement and swiveling of the endoscope, as well as vertical and lateral bending of the endoscope tip. Bidirectional haptic feedback function is realized by bilateral master-slave control. The motions and forces between master and slave device are visualized by the control system, which would be available to quantify of the operation of the endoscope and useful as a teaching tool. In this report, the visualizations of the force and motion are presented, and the potential of the system is discussed.