This report describes continuing development of a novel compact surgical assistant robot to control the orientation and insertion depth of a laparoscopic endoscope during abdomenal surgery. The sterilizable manipulator is sufficiently small and lightweight that it can be placed directly on the body of the patient without interfering with other handheld instruments during abdomenal surgery. It consists of a round base, a clamp to hold the endoscope trocar, and two joints which enable azimuth rotation and inclination of the endoscope pivoting about the insertion point. The robot is actuated by thin cables inside flexible sleeves which are pulled by electric motors with a rack-and-pinion drive. Operation of the robot is demonstrated using an abdomenal surgical simulation trainer and experimental results are given.
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