A master-slave robot for vitreo-retinal eye surgery

Introduction Vitreo-retinal eye surgery relates to surgery at the inner side at the back of the eye, e.g. the vitreous humor and the retina. Nowadays it is performed manually via a trocar, like minimally invasive surgery (MIS). Vitreo-retinal instruments are typically 0.6 mm in diameter with a length of 30 mm. Eye surgery demands special operating skills. Steady hand movements are desired to operate delicate tissue e.g. the retina, with high accuracy [1]. During eye surgery forces are below the detection limit (60 mN). Robotic assisted surgery with force feedback is a solution, for which a masterμslave system is being designed and realized. The μslave robot, performing the actual surgery, is controlled by the surgeon via a master. Advantages of a master-slave system are: a comfortable body posture, intuitive instrument handling, downscaled instrument movements, upscaled force feedback and filtering of hand tremor.