Presented here is the design of a mechanism for dexterous placement of an end-effector (forceps, scissors, dissectors) during minimally invasive surgery. The mechanism is best suited to function as a manipulator for a surgical robotics system where motion scaling and filtering of surgeon hand movements could be realized in a fashion to improve ergonomics. End-effector degrees of freedom in the form of actuation, bidirectional 180/spl deg/ articulation, and rotation are provided by a compact multilink structure comprised of gears and gear-links. This structure has been optimized to provide a large dexterous workspace, low backlash, small force magnification, excellent stiffness, load capacity and infinite life durability. These conditions are achieved through selection of link configuration, forceps design, optimal link thicknesses, gear profile design, and high strength steels.
Minor et al. (2003) studied this question.