Teleoperation in Robot-assisted MIS with Adaptive RCM via Admittance Control

Abstract

This paper presents the development and assessment of a teleoperation framework for robot-assistedminimally invasive surgery (MIS). The framework leverages our novel integration of an adaptive remotecenter of motion (RCM) using admittance control. This framework operates within a redundancyresolution method specifically designed for the RCM constraint. We introduce a compact, low-cost,and modular custom-designed instrument module (IM) that ensures integration with the manipulator,featuring a force/torque sensor, a surgical instrument, and an actuation unit for driving the surgicalinstrument. The paper details the complete teleoperation framework, including the telemanipulationtrajectory mapping, kinematic modelling, control strategy, and the integrated admittance controller.Finally, the system’s capability to perform various surgical tasks was demonstrated, including passinga thread through the rings, picking and placing objects, and trajectory tracking.