Title: A magnetorheological fluid-based tremor reduction method for robot-assisted catheter operating system

Authors: Lingling Zheng; Shuxiang Guo

Addresses: Graduate School of Engineering, Kagawa University, Takamatsu, Kagawa – 761-0396, Japan ' Department of Intelligent Mechanical Systems Engineering, Kagawa University, Takamatsu, Kagawa – 761-0396, Japan; Key Laboratory of Convergence Medical Engineering System and Healthcare Technology, The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Beijing Institute of Technology, Haidian District, Beijing – 100081, China

Abstract: Robot-assisted catheter operating systems are commonly developed since they can improve the operation accuracy and avoid the impact of radiation on surgeons. However, when surgeons perform operations with tremors, the operating efficiency and accuracy will be seriously affected. In this paper, a novel method was proposed to reduce tremor during interventional vascular therapy (IVT). Magnetorheological (MR) fluids are used not only to generate force feedback for surgeons but also to produce resistance to the operations with tremors. Simulations and experiments were carried out to verify the performance of the proposed method. Experiments and simulations results indicated that tremors can be reduced effectively with the proposed method. A robot-assisted catheter operating system with the proposed tremor reduction method, cannot only improve the safety and efficiency of operations, but also extend the professional career of surgeons.

Keywords: tremor reduction; interventional vascular therapy; IVT; robot-assisted catheter operating system; magnetorheological fluids; MR fluids.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMA.2021.115234

International Journal of Mechatronics and Automation, 2021 Vol.8 No.2, pp.72 - 79

Received: 09 Sep 2020
Accepted: 10 Sep 2020
Published online: 24 May 2021 *