A novel robotic gripper for automated suturing during minimally invasive mitral valve repair

This paper presents a novel robotic needle-holder which facilitates safe and precise suturing during minimally invasive surgery (MIS). MIS suturing requires high-precision needle-positioning to be performed inside a severely limited workspace. Teleoperated MIS is commonly used to increase the accuracy and dexterity of motion beyond human range. However, existing suturing tools demand the surgeon perform a complex and strenuous set of motions to pass the needle through tissue. This results in high operator-fatigue and often in poor suture quality. This tool aims to automate the needle-pass to reduce the burden on surgeons during teleoperated surgery. Further, it is designed to follow the optimal needle trajectory to enhance the safety and reliability of MIS suturing. The robotic needle-holder tool is designed and analysed in this paper. A 3D printed, scaled prototype is experimentally investigated to verify the needle trajectory and interaction forces during the needle pass as well as the precision and repeatability of the motion. Experimental results show that the new gripper is able to pass the needle along the ideal trajectory with a consistent and repeatable force profile.