Twin Kinematics Approach for Robotic-Assisted Tele-Echography

Abstract

This paper discusses a new teleoperation approach for robotic-assisted tele-echography. A teleoperation architecture in the joint space is presented, taking advantage of kinematic similarity between master and slave manipulators. Haptic force feedback is provided based on the slave control command torque, without using force/torque sensing data. The slave manipulator is controlled in the joint space using computed torque techniques and featuring Kalman Active Observers (AOBs). Experiments in a typical telemedice scenario, assess and validate the teleoperation architecture in a clinical context, with a radiologist performing a robotic-assisted abdominal ultrasound examination on a healthy volunteer.