A 2-DOF FRICTION DRIVE FOR HAPTIC SURGERY SIMULATION OF HYSTEROSCOPY

Haptic Devices are key elements of surgery simulators, as they allow surgeons to experience the contact forces during the manipulation of the virtual tissue in a training session. Friction drives add important features to surgery simulation, like tool insertion and complete removal during the training and thus add realism to the simulation. In this paper we present a 2-DOF friction drive for smooth and slip-free tool translation and rotation, which is part of a 4-DOF haptic device for training of a gynecologic intervention (hysteroscopy). We present a specially developed mechanical design and the control structure for efficient friction compensation and low force ripple in the context of high quality haptic (force feedback) systems. The prototype is presented and experimental results are discussed.