Design and Validation of an End-Effector for a Surgical Robot with an Automatic Multi-Tool Switching Function

Surgical robots are crucial to modern precision surgery, yet the working efficiency of tool switching in existing end-effectors remains a major challenge. In a conventional robot-assisted surgery (RAS), manually replacing surgical tools may disrupt the surgical workflow, reducing both working smoothness and the level of automation. To address current limitations, this paper presents the design and implementation of a novel surgical end-effector with an automatic multi-tool switching function. The core mechanism employs a dual-motor architecture: a distal motor drives a six-station rotating turntable via a planetary gearbox for rapid tool selection, while a proximal motor converts rotational motion into linear propulsion using a trapezoidal lead screw. An incomplete rack and pinion mechanism automatically locks and rotates the selected tool to the optimal working angle during forward propulsion. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed design achieves rapid, stable, and accurate automatic tool switching without human involvement. This end-effector shows promising potential for high-precision surgical scenarios, such as oral and maxillofacial surgery, offering a novel solution to enhance the accuracy and automate the workflow of surgical robots.