Grasper integrated tri-axial force sensor system for robotic minimally invasive surgery

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Biomedical Engineering
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Tactile feedback is crucial for enhancing precision and safety in robotic surgery.
• Current robotic surgical systems often lack integrated, high-resolution tactile sensing capabilities.
• Miniaturized sensors are needed for seamless integration into surgical instruments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design, microfabricate, and characterize a miniature capacitive force sensor for robotic surgical systems.
• To achieve triaxial force sensing (normal, x-shear, y-shear) within a single sensor element.
• To enable integration with commercial robotic surgical graspers.

Main Methods:

• Microfabrication of a novel capacitive force sensor.
• Implementation of differential sensing for shear force detection.
• Development of a custom printed circuit board (PCB) with 24-bit resolution for sensor readout.
• Characterization of sensor performance under various force loads.

Main Results:

• Demonstration of a single-element microfabricated sensor capable of triaxial force sensing.
• Achieved normal force resolution of 0.055 N.
• Achieved x-shear force resolution of 0.25 N and y-shear force resolution of 1.45 N.
• Sensor performance falls within the range of clinically relevant forces.

Conclusions:

• The developed miniature force sensor provides essential triaxial tactile feedback for robotic surgery.
• The sensor's design facilitates integration with existing surgical robotic graspers.
• This technology has the potential to significantly improve surgical outcomes and instrument control.