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In laparoscopic surgery, grasping instruments are used to manipulate tissue. These instruments are the only means of contact between tissue and the surgeon's hand. With well designed instruments, the pinching force on the hand should be a reliable measurement for the grasping force on the jaws. To evaluate this transmission of information by the mechanisms of existing grasping instruments, measurements and calculations were carried out. It was found that due to mechanical friction losses and variations in the transmission of forces over the working range, the information transmission is far from ideal. Ways to improve the transmission of information, by adjusting existing instruments or by designing alternative concepts, are indicated.

No abstract

No abstract

This study showed that the overall sensitivity loss through instruments could be accurately assessed, proving that the sensory feedback for commercially available instruments was low compared to bare fingers. The good sensory feedback results of the prototype indicated that careful design could decrease the overall sensitivity loss.