STUDY ON ROBOTICS THAT SUPPORTS LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERY

我们研究并开发了辅助腹腔镜手术的机器人技术。在腹腔镜手术中，由于内窥镜器械（如镊子）的自由度不足，因此需要开发能够在患者体内提供额外自由度的主动机构。东京大学的研究小组开发了一种使用钛镍形状记忆合金管的主动镊子，其中一个在较高温度下记忆圆形形状，另一个在较低温度下具有直线形状记忆。采用水循环方式，热水和冷水由电动泵控制。该团队在9秒的响应时间内实现了大约45度的弯曲角度。此外，还设计了AESOP 1000、Polhemus Sensor等主从式机器人系统，并进行了原型制作。此外，还开发了Motion Cancellation（运动消除）的概念，使外科医生能够像静止的器官一样对运动的器官进行手术。鹿儿岛大学的研究小组探索了利用焦耳效应的另一种加热方法。也就是说，电流通过SMA管，它们的电阻使它们加热。快速响应是这种方法的优势。开发的镊子达到约40度的弯曲角度，响应时间为3-4秒。

We studied and developed robotic technology that assists laparoscopic surgery. The main focus was to develop active mechanisms that provide extra degrees of freedom inside the patient's body for laparoscopic surgery where a surgeon suffers from lack of degrees of freedom of endoscopic equipments such as forceps.The team of University of Tokyo developed an active forceps using Ti-Ni shape memory alloy pipes, one of which memorized a circular shape at a higher temperature and another had straight shape memory at a lower temperature. Water circulation method was employed where hot water and cold water are controlled by motored pumps. The team attained approximately 45 degrees of bending angle with the response time of 9 seconds. In addition, a master-slave robot system was designed and prototyped including AESOP 1000, Polhemus Sensor, and so on. The team also developed the concept of Motion Cancellation where a surgeon can execute operations on moving organs as if they were stationary.The Kagoshima University team explored another heating method that uses the Joule effect. Namely, the electric current goes through the SMA pipes and their resistance heats them up. Faster response is the advantage of this approach. The developed forceps attained approximately 40 degrees of bending angle with the response time of 3-4 seconds.