Abstract
Inverse kinematics (IK) of concentric tube continuum robots (CTRs) is associated with two main problems. First, the robot model (e.g., the relationship between the configuration space parameters and the robot end-effector) is not linear. Second, multiple solutions for the IK are available. This paper presents a general approach to solve the IK of CTRs in the presence of constrained environments. It is assumed that the distal tube of the CTR is inserted into a cavity while its proximal end is placed inside a tube resembling the vessel enabling the entry to the organ cavity. The robot-tissue interaction at the beginning of the organ-cavity imposed displacement and force constraints to the IK problem to secure a safe interaction between the robot and tissue. The IK in CTRs has been carried out by treating the problem as an optimization problem. To find the optimized IK of the CTR, the cost function is defined to be the minimization of input force into the body cavity and the occupied area by the robot shaft body. The optimization results show that CTRs can keep the safe force range in interaction with tissue for the specified trajectories of the distal tube. Various simulation scenarios are conducted to validate the approach. Using the IK obtained from the presented approach, the tracking accuracy is achieved as 0.01 mm which is acceptable for the application.
Highlights
Nowadays, continuum robots (CRs) have found widespread applications in medicine, especially in minimally invasive surgeries (MIS)
Catheters are an example of CRs that are widely used in MIS
Anor et al [13] presented a novel systematic approach to optimize the design of concentric tube continuum robots (CTCRs) for neurosurgical procedures
Summary
Continuum robots (CRs) have found widespread applications in medicine, especially in minimally invasive surgeries (MIS). This paper presents a generalized pattern search to optimize concentric tube robots while They can reach the target point with minimal curvature and length. Luo et al [17] designed a concentric tube manipulator that is appropriate for surgical environments They presented a new topology of the tubes for the concentric tube robot, which can increase the stable workspace because it allows the usage of larger tube curvatures and/or curve lengths. In MIS applications, the robot is ideally expected to perform its mission with occupying the least possible workspace To address this issue, in this paper, an algorithm is proposed that helps the minimum number of segments of a threesegment CR be involved in achieving a target point.
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