Motion and Trajectory Constraints Control Modeling for Flexible Surgical Robotic Systems

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Medical Technology
• Control Systems Engineering

Background:

• The success of surgical robots like the da Vinci system has driven the need for flexible robots for single-port interventions in deep intrabody organs.
• Existing flexible robot prototypes require precise constraint control models for effective pathway navigation during complex surgical tasks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design a flexible snake-like robot with a novel constraint model for enhanced control during minimally invasive surgery.
• To enable precise kinematics and dynamics control, motion trajectory planning, and obstacle avoidance for flexible robotic systems.

Main Methods:

• A flexible snake-like robot was designed and a constraint model was developed for its control.
• Simulations and implementations were performed in Matlab, evaluating performance on circular paths with varying trajectories.
• Dynamic constraint procedures and obstacle collision detection algorithms were proposed and validated.

Main Results:

• The control model achieved a mean kinematic error of 0.37 ± 0.36 mm with rapid resolution times.
• Robot movement demonstrated geometric and parametric continuity, with validated dynamic constraints and effective collision avoidance.
• The system efficiently determined joint angles for target acquisition, ensuring smooth trajectories and near real-time obstacle avoidance.

Conclusions:

• The developed flexible robotic system and control model significantly enhance real-time control capabilities for minimally invasive surgery.
• The low computational complexity and high precision make the model suitable for practical clinical applications.
• This advancement promises improved safety and efficacy in single-port interventions of core intrabody organs.