Design and realization of a new backdrivable laparoscope manipulator

Twenty years ago, the emergence of endoscopic technology opened up the way to minimal access surgery. These new types of procedures strongly reduced operative traumatisms by requiring only small incisions in order to insert long instruments through the abdominal wall. The scars are barely visible, and the recovery period is shortened so that the patient resumes his normal life sooner. Nowadays, manipulation of the scope tends to be entrusted to a robot controlled by the surgeon, so as to allow the latter to work without the need of an assistant and to guarantee the stability of the image. However, current robots remain quite expensive and suffer from many limitations : bulk, lack of ergonomics, long set-up time, restricted control and simple motions etc. The purpose of this research is to develop a new compact manipulator which is quick to install, requires no adaptation to the patient or type of procedure, allows a manual manipulation of the laparoscope to permit a short general exploration without releasing it from the robot, and is equipped with user-friendly programming capabilities to enhance safety and ergonomics