NRI: Small: Interleaved Continuum-Rigid Manipulation - Enabling High-Performance and Inherent-Safety in Minimally-Invasive Surgical Procedures

该项目研究了一种用于微创外科手术的全新机器人操作方法。 该方法结合了灵活的，主动驱动的连续段与小，刚性连接关节-保持灵活的连续机械手的安全优势，同时实现传统的刚性机械手的性能优势。 性能和固有安全性的结合是新兴的协作机器人手术应用领域的一个基本要素。 整个方法被称为交错连续刚性操纵。 虽然交错连续刚性操纵提供了一个有吸引力的，直观的方法，其明显的简单性掩盖了成功实现之前必须克服的障碍。 本项目将通过设计、建模和控制方面的协调努力来解决这些障碍。 设计工作将寻求解决交错操纵方法的重大技术挑战，包括刚性连杆关节致动挑战和刚性连杆关节与柔性节段传动系统耦合。 建模调查将建立一个工具集，从该工具集可以理解交错操作方法的基本行为。 控制研究将寻求发展的控制策略，适合于混合的柔性-刚性系统的设想。 评估将包括性能和安全度量评估以及台架临床评估，重点是模拟临床任务的执行。如果成功，研究结果将导致在高技术和安全关键的微创协作机器人手术中使用的操作能力的改进。 具体而言，交错连续刚性操纵将实现新兴的合作机器人手术技术中的合作操纵任务所需的性能水平，同时保持安全性。 神经、心脏和其他高风险手术的新型介入技术将成为可能，从而改善结局并降低发病率。 此外，扩展到更大规模的机械手可能会对其他合作机器人应用领域产生重大影响，包括搜索和救援机器人，轻工制造以及家庭和医疗辅助机器人。 为了促进项目成果的广泛传播，主要研究结果将在会议和同行评审期刊上发表。 此外，详细的结果，包括设计和分析数据，将在网上提供。 最后，该项目将通过为研究生和本科生研究人员提供综合的研究和教育环境，包括那些通过既定的大学奖学金计划代表性不足的群体，有很强的培训重点。

This project investigates a fundamentally new robotic manipulation approach for minimally-invasive surgical procedures. The approach combines flexible, actively actuated continuum segments with small, rigid-link joints -- retaining the safety advantages of flexible continuum manipulators while achieving the performance advantages of traditional rigid manipulators. The combination of performance and inherent safety is an essential element in the emerging area of co-robotic surgical applications. The overall approach is referred to as interleaved continuum-rigid manipulation. While interleaved continuum-rigid manipulation offers an attractive, intuitive approach, its apparent simplicity belies the obstacles which must be overcome prior to successful realization. This project will address these obstacles though a coordinated effort in design, modeling, and control. The design effort will seek to address the significant technical challenges of the interleaved manipulation approach including rigid-link joint actuation challenges and rigid-link joint to flexible segment drive-train coupling. The modeling investigation will establish a toolset from which the underlying behaviors of the interleaved manipulation approach can be understood. The controls investigation will seek to develop control strategies appropriate for the hybrid flexible-rigid system envisioned. Evaluation will include performance and safety-metric evaluation as well as bench top clinical evaluation, focusing on the execution of simulated clinical tasks.If successful, the results of the research will lead to improvements in manipulation capability for use in highly technical and safety critical minimally-invasive co-robotic surgical procedures. Specifically, interleaved continuum-rigid manipulation will enable levels of performance required for cooperative manipulation tasks in emerging co-robotic surgical techniques while maintaining safety. New classes of interventional techniques for neurological, cardiac, and other high risk procedures will be possible, resulting in improved outcomes and reduced morbidity. In addition, the extension to larger scale manipulators could have significant impact in other co-robotic application areas including search and rescue robotics, light-manufacturing, and home and healthcare assistive robotics. To facilitate wide dissemination of the project results, major findings will be published in both conference and peer-reviewed journals. Additionally, detailed results, including design and analysis data, will be made available online. Finally, the project will have a strong training focus by providing an integrated research and educational environment for graduate and undergraduate student researchers - including those in underrepresented groups through established University fellowship programs.