Development of a Precision-grip based Interface for 4-DoF Articulated Forceps

In this paper, we develop a user interface for multi degree-of-freedom (DoF) articulated forceps intended for minimally invasive transnasal endoscopic neurosurgery. This user interface intuitively and precisely controls the multiple DoFs of the forceps tip through a pen-type linkage held by the thumb and the forefinger in a similar way to the dexterous handwriting motion, while the forceps position and orientation are controlled by the handpalm motion over a parallel link mechanism. We evaluate the feasibility of the proposed user interface on an object manipulation experiment and a suturing experiment. In an additional experiment, a surgeon successfully performed simulated dural suture on surgical glove material using multi-DoF articulated forceps with the proposed interface.