Design of a laparoscopic robot system based on spherical magnetic field

In single incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS), because the laparoscope and other surgical instruments share the same incision, the interferences between them constrain the dexterity of surgical instruments and affect the field of views of the laparoscope. Inspired by the structure of the spherical motor and the driving method of an intraocular micro robot, a fully inserted laparoscopic robot system is proposed, which consists of an inner laparoscopic robot and external driving device. The position and orientation control of the inner laparoscopic robot are controlled by a magnetic field generated by the driving device outside the abdominal wall. The instrumental interferences can be alleviated and better visual feedback can be obtained by keeping the laparoscopic robot away from the surgical incision. To verify the feasibility of the proposed structure and explore its control method, a prototype system is designed and fabricated. The electromagnetism model and the mechanical model of the laparoscopic robot system are established. Finally, the translational, rotational, and deflection motion of the laparoscopic robot are demonstrated in practical experiment, and the accuracy of deflection motion of the laparoscopic robot is verified in open-loop condition.