A study on tool exchanger for a remote dissection system in the International Space Station

Abstract

We are developing a robotic dissection system remotely operated in the International Space Station. During the dissection process, the tip tool should be replaced when it becomes contaminated with living tissue or body fluids. Therefore, in this study, we developed a tool exchanger that allows the attachment and detachment of the forceps and scissors at the tip of the robotic arm using only the driving force of the robotic arm itself. In this paper, an improved design and prototype, and evaluation test are presented.