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Updated: Mar 19, 2026

Design and Fabrication of an Elastomeric Unit for Soft Modular Robots in Minimally Invasive Surgery
Published on: November 14, 2015
A novel 4-DOF surgical instrument with modular joints and 6-Axis Force sensing capability
Kun Li1, Bo Pan1, Fuhai Zhang1
1State Key Laboratory of Robotics and System, Harbin Institute of Technology, China.
Background:
It is difficult for surgeons to exert appropriate forces during delicate operations due to lack of force feedback in robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery (RMIS). A 4-DOF surgical grasper with a modular wrist and 6-axis force sensing capability is developed.
Methods:
A grasper integrated with a miniature force and torque sensor based on the Stewart platform is designed, and a cable tension decomposition mechanism is designed to alleviate influence of the cable tension to the sensor. A modularized wrist consisting of four joint units is designed to facilitate integration of the sensor and eliminate coupled motion of the wrist.
Results:
Sensing ranges of this instrument are ±10 N and ±160 N mm, and resolutions are 1.2% in radial directions, 5% in axial direction, and 4.2% in rotational directions. An ex vivo experiment shows that this instrument prototype successfully measures the interaction forces.
Conclusions:
A 4-DOF surgical instrument with modular joints and 6-axis force sensing capability is developed. This instrument can be used for force feedback in RMIS. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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