Combination design of drive mechanism considering delay of surgical robot

Surgical robots have contributed greatly to the development of minimally invasive surgery. However, these robots suffer from issues such as the looseness of wires acting as the robot’s drive mechanism, and high maintenance cost. The objective of this study was to derive a combination of driving mechanisms other than wires that satisfies the required positional accuracy of a surgical robot. The robot operation trajectory was obtained using a virtual surgical simulator. Based on the operation trajectory obtained in the suture task experiment, the delay of each joint was virtually simulated, and the robot’s position was calculated. The positions of the robot with and without delay were compared, and the drive mechanism combinations that satisfy the required positional accuracy were obtained. Thus, satisfactory accuracy was achieved when the alternative drive mechanism was properly placed.Clinical Relevance— This paper presents an accurate and low-maintenance surgical robot that uses few wires and alternative drive mechanisms.