Control methods for a teleoperated endoscope robot

Abstract

In this study, control of a endoscope robot for the pituitary gland surgery is presented. This co-worker robot has non-backdrivable actuation system with external brakes on the actuators. Since it is required to move in a constrained environment, which is the inside the nostrils in this case, modifications are required for the motion controller. In order to provide safe procedure, the maximum force and torque limits are defined for the real surgical case by using human cadaver head. By considering these limits and application specific requirements, a compliance controller is proposed and experimentally tested.