Cable-Driven Mechanism Models for Sensitive and Actuated Minimally Invasive Robotic Instruments

Cable-driven mechanism models are, usually, included in actuated systems; however, recently, their use for sensitive systems has been explored. In this paper, two cable-driven multi-body mechanism models are compared, underlining advantages and constraints in using sensitive cable-driven mechanisms for minimally invasive robotic instruments. The proposed approach could be useful in bypassing sterilization problems for surgical robotic instruments because our system allows for the separation of the robotic sterilizable part from the sensitive-actuated part of the surgical instrument. The real implementation of the proposed mechanism models, presented partially in other works, are validated in this paper, performing a simulation using a multi-body environment. Results confirm the feasibility of the proposed sensitive-actuated approach, defining new bases for the next challenges of the future.