Dynamic Force Sensing for Continuous Scraping Towards Endometrium Repair Surgery

ABSTRACT Background A surgical robot with force feedback can guarantee precise and gentle manipulation for endometrial repair, ensuring the effectiveness and safety of the manipulation. However, the design of force sensors for surgical robots is challenging due to the limited anatomical space and the requirement for continuous rotation. Methods This paper presents a novel force‐sensing surgical instrument for endometrial repair, including an inner scraping instrument and an outer force sensing sheath. It utilises the actuation force of the outer flexible sheath to predict real‐time tangential and normal forces of the scraping to the endometrium surface. Experiments are conducted to test its force sensing accuracy. Results This paper simulated three types of operations with different tangential force thresholds and obtained the mean error with the standard deviation. Discussion This sensing method enables real‐time and accurate measurement of the dynamic scraping force between the rotating instrument and the tissue.