FORCE CHARACTERISATION OF ONE AXIS FOR AN ADHESIVE FOOT IN A CLIMBING ROBOT FOR MINIMALLY INVASIVE ABDOMINAL SURGERY

摘要

This paper presents the characterisation of the force generated by a miniature piezoelectric motor (SQUIGGLE) integrated into a mechanism to move a micro-structured adhesive pad. The characterisation focuses on the amount of force the configuration is able to exert along its axis. These pad and mechanism are part of an adhesion-reliant robot for intra-abdominal operation against gravity. Control of the adhesive behaviour of the pad will be enabled by precise knowledge of the force that the motor is able to apply. Firstly, an introduction presents a summary of state-of-the art technologies in robot-assisted surgery. Secondly, the purpose, environment and mechanical design of the robot are introduced. Next, results from the force characterisation show the mechanism is able to deliver sufficient force for the control of the adhesive foot. Further tests to determine the way force and moment are transmitted through the robot are to be performed to optimise the design of the hardware and software.