Master manipulator optimisation for robot assisted minimally invasive surgery

Background In robot‐assisted minimally invasive surgery, the surgeon controls a robot by operating a pair of master manipulators. Thus, the performance of a master manipulator directly affects the work of the surgeon physiologically and psychologically. Aims In order to improve the operability and quality of operation, a structure optimisation method of master manipulator is proposed. Materials & Methods The optimisation index of workspace and dexterity of main manipulator based on ergonomics and kinematics is established, and the reasonable weight coefficient of optimisation index is determined by using combination weighting method. Results Experiments verified that the proposed optimisation method ensures a large workspace and good kinematic performance for the master manipulator. Conclusion This improves the comfort of the surgeon and can effectively avoid the problem of cutting off master–slave communication to adjust the position of the master manipulator owing to the small workspace.