Current Directions in Biomedical Engineering (Sep 2020)

Telemanipulation of an Articulated Robotic Arm using a Commercial Virtual Reality Controller

  • Schäfer Max B.,
  • Stewart Kent W.,
  • Lösch Nico,
  • Pott Peter P.

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1515/cdbme-2020-3033
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 6, no. 3
pp. 127 – 130

Abstract

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Access to systems for robot-assisted surgery is limited due to high costs. To enable widespread use, numerous issues have to be addressed to improve and/or simplify their components. Current systems commonly use universal linkage-based input devices, and only a few applicationoriented and specialized designs are used. A versatile virtual reality controller is proposed as an alternative input device for the control of a seven degree of freedom articulated robotic arm. The real-time capabilities of the setup, replicating a system for robot-assisted teleoperated surgery, are investigated to assess suitability. Image-based assessment showed a considerable system latency of 81.7 ± 27.7 ms. However, due to its versatility, the virtual reality controller is a promising alternative to current input devices for research around medical telemanipulation systems.

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