A simulation framework for tool tissue interactions in robotic surgery

Robotic surgery is preferred over other traditional methods due to reduced complications and improved ergonomics for the operating surgeon. They are also a perfect platform for telesurgery. Automated surgery in which the robot is allowed to do various surgical tasks with minimal intervention is getting wider attention recently. In this paper, we introduce a simulation framework that can realistically simulate tool tissue interactions in robotic surgery, which can be used to design and test various control methodologies for automated surgical tasks. We present preliminary results from simulating a simple model of a surgical robot interacting with a volumetric model while performing a grasping and hold task.