Task-Specific Multiple-Arm Minimally Invasive Surgical Device Design Using Cooperative Kinematic Isotropy Indices

Abstract

The transition from multiple-port to single-port robotic systems in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) procedures has made flexible, dexterous manipulation an essential capability. The requirement that single-port MIS devices span an enclosed surgical workspace through only one access point while avoiding collateral damage to surrounding tissues necessitates the employment of mechanically sophisticated, kinematically redundant device architectures. These redundant architectures, while capable of achieving clinically-acceptable performance levels on complicated MIS procedures, are difficult to design and can easily result in economically prohibitive or technically impractical solutions. The problem of balancing clinical functionality and design economy in single-port MIS devices becomes even more challenging when the dexterous use