Teleoperation in robot-assisted MIS with adaptive RCM via admittance control

This paper presents the development and assessment of a teleoperation framework for robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery (MIS). The framework leverages our novel integration of a previously developed adaptive remote center of motion (RCM) using admittance control. This framework operates within a redundancy resolution method specifically designed for the RCM constraint. We introduce a compact, low-cost, and modular custom-designed instrument module (IM) that ensures integration with the manipulator, featuring a force/torque sensor, a surgical instrument, and an actuation unit for driving the surgical instrument. The paper details the complete teleoperation framework, including the telemanipulation trajectory mapping, kinematic modelling, control strategy, and the integrated admittance controller. Finally, the system’s capability to perform various surgical tasks was demonstrated, including passing a thread through the rings, picking and placing objects, and trajectory tracking.