Adaptive variable impedance position/force tracking control of fracture reduction robot

Background The operation object of robot‐assisted fracture reduction surgery is the musculoskeletal tissue with rigid‐compliance coupling characteristics. It is necessary to improve the interactive compliance and safety between the reduction robot and the musculoskeletal tissue. Method An adaptive variable impedance position/force tracking control strategy based on friction compensation is proposed. The stiffness of the reduction robot can be adaptively adjusted according to the contact force between the end‐effector and the environment. The Stribeck friction force model of the branch chain electric cylinder is derived to improve the motion control performance. Results The fracture reduction experiment is completed. The experimental results show that the adaptive variable impedance position/force control strategy can realize position and force tracking in fracture reduction. Conclusion A safety control strategy is proposed and applied to robot‐assisted fracture reduction surgery, which improves the coordination and compliance of the human‐robot interaction between the reduction robot and the patient.