Master–slave robotic platform and its feasibility study for micro‐neurosurgery

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Abstract
Background: Microsurgery is a widely performed process in neurosurgery. However, it is difficult for surgeons because manipulating small and long instruments under a microscope often restricts dexterity. Hand tremors are also an issue, as the accuracy required for microsurgery is very high.Method: A master–slave robotic platform has been developed for neurosurgery. A position–orientation decoupled design was employed to enhance positioning accuracy, and a smooth trajectory generation method was developed.Result: The robotic tasks exhibited improved positioning accuracy compared to manual tasks. Anastomoses of 0.3 and 0.5 mm artificial vessels were successfully performed in end‐to‐end and end‐to‐side fashion.Conclusion: With the robotic platform, the surgeon was able to perform a fine and complex task, which is very difficult with manual operation. The robotic system showed sufficient accuracy and dexterity, but with a longer task completion time. Further improvement of the dexterity and user interface is expected to realize better performance. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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