Abstract
We developed hydraulic-driven forceps with a micro bearing and a bellows tube that can convey haptic information to the operator. This system can measure small force acting on the tips of the forceps by using Pascal′s principle. A model of the system is provided that shows the relationship between the internal pressure of the bellows tube and the refraction angles of the forceps. It was confirmed using this model that the developed system makes it possible to estimate both the strength and the direction of the external force applied to the forceps by measuring the internal pressure of the bellows tube. But the relationship between the internal pressure of the bellows tube and the refraction angles of the forceps has some hysteresis. Correlativity of between the internal pressure of the bellows tube and the refraction angles of the forceps had a limit. Therefore, we constructed redesigned forceps. In this report, we describe the redesigned forceps, which can prevent hysteresis, measure very small force.
