Estimation of vertical interaction force to the end of a surgical instrument by measuring reaction force to the trocar support

This paper proposes a method to estimate vertical interaction force to the end of the surgical instrument by measuring reaction force at the part supporting the trocar. Relation between the force to the trocar and the interaction force is derived using the beam theory. The vertical interaction force is modeled as a function of the reaction force to the trocar and the distance between the drape plate and the trocar. Experimental results show that error is induced by the asymmetric shape of the trocar tip because contact position between the instrument and the trocar tip is changed depending on the direction of the interaction force. The theoretical relation, therefore, is compensated and reduced. Average L2 relative error of the estimated force in the x-direction and the y-direction is 5.81 % and 5.99 %, respectively. © ICROS 2016.