Yang, J., Li, X., Runciman, M. orcid.org/0000-0003-0782-5729 et al. (4 more authors) (2024) A Novel, Soft, Cable-Driven Parallel Robot for Minimally Invasive Surgeries Based on Folded Pouch Actuators. Applied Sciences, 14 (10). 4095. ISSN 2076-3417
Abstract
This paper introduces a soft, cable-driven parallel robot for minimally invasive surgeries. The robot comprises a pneumatic inflatable scaffold, six hydraulic, folded pouch actuators, and a hollow, cylindrical end-effector offering five degrees of freedom. A key development is the design of the pouch actuators, which are small, low-profile, simple structures, capable of a high stroke of 180° angular displacement. The scaffold, actuators, and plastic cables are economically and rapidly fabricated using laser cutting and welding techniques. Constructed primarily from soft plastic materials, the robot can be compactly folded into a cylinder measuring 110 mm in length and 14 mm in diameter. Upon inflation, the scaffold transforms into a hexagonal prism structure with side lengths of 34 mm and edge lengths of 100 mm. The kinematic model of the robot has been developed for workspace calculation and control purposes. A series of tests have been conducted to evaluate the performance of the actuator and the robot. Repeatability tests demonstrate the robot’s high repeatability, with mean and root mean square errors of 0.3645 mm and 0.4186 mm, respectively. The direct connection between the end-effector and the actuators theoretically eliminates cable friction, resulting in a hysteresis angle of less than 2°, as confirmed by the tracking results. In addition, simulated surgical tasks have been performed to further demonstrate the robot’s performance.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2024 by the authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | minimally invasive surgery; soft actuator; soft robot; cable-driven parallel robot |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Electronic & Electrical Engineering (Leeds) > Robotics, Autonomous Systems & Sensing (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 05 Jun 2024 11:07 |
Last Modified: | 05 Jun 2024 11:07 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | MDPI |
Identification Number: | 10.3390/app14104095 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:213111 |