Design of the hollow modular joint plays an important role in modern robot layout, fixation, and wiring. In this paper, a hollow modular joint that meets the requirement of a minimally invasive surgical robot is proposed. The mechanical and control design is sequentially illustrated, and the torque sensor and its optimization are provided. Furthermore, a free-force control method is introduced. To analyze the designed module, the simulation of the redundant robot, comprised of the designed joint in seven degrees of freedom, is presented. The results of analyses showed that the designed hollow modular joint is valid and effective.
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