Design of a Compact Robotic Manipulator for Single-Port Laparoscopy

Abstract

This paper presents the mechanical design of a novel surgical robotic platform, specifically developed for single-port laparoscopy (SPL). The greatest constraint is the small size of the skin incision through which the robot must operate. Several technical and technological challenges have been tackled to meet the stringent requirements imposed by the surgical procedure at hand. In this paper, a detailed mechanical description of the system is provided, fulfilling the necessary design requirements. The main outcome of this work is a compact, light-weight (total weight approximately 6 kg) and highly dexterous bimanual robot capable of overcoming the current drawbacks experienced in SPL when using traditional medical devices. The system has been assessed in terms of tracking accuracy, resulting in satisfactory and promising performance.