An increasing number of grounded robots are being used in prostate interventions to improve clinical outcomes, but their large size and high-cost limit their popularity. Thus, we present a hand-held 3-degree-of-freedom (DoF) parallel robot with remote center of motion (RCM) for minimally invasive prostate biopsy applications, combining the flexibility of hand-held devices with the precision of robotic assistance. First, the kinematic structure of robotic assistance is introduced according to its design requirements. Then, the kinematic analysis of robotic assistance is carried out by using a simplified kinematic model. The kinematic parameters are designed according to the desired workspace. A prototype has been developed and validated in animal experiments. Twenty beagles of different sizes were selected for the robot-assisted and controlled experiments, resulting in target errors of 3.30 ± 1.63 mm and 5.40 ± 1.76 mm, respectively. The error of robot-assisted experiments was significantly better than in controlled experiments. Preliminary animal tests have demonstrated that the hand-held robot can improve the accuracy of free-hand biopsy punctures.
Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics Open Issues
