A fuzzy neural network sliding mode controller for vibration suppression in robotically assisted minimally invasive surgery.

BACKGROUND: It is very important for robotically assisted minimally invasive surgery to achieve a high-precision and smooth motion control. However, the surgical instrument tip will exhibit vibration caused by nonlinear friction and unmodeled dynamics, especially when the surgical robot system is attempting low-speed, fine motion.

METHODS: A fuzzy neural network sliding mode controller (FNNSMC) is proposed to suppress vibration of the surgical robotic system. Nonlinear friction and modeling uncertainties are compensated by a Stribeck model, a radial basis function (RBF) neural network and a fuzzy system, respectively.

RESULTS: Simulations and experiments were performed on a 3 degree-of-freedom (DOF) minimally invasive surgical robot. The results demonstrate that the FNNSMC is effective and can suppress vibrations at the surgical instrument tip.

CONCLUSIONS: The proposed FNNSMC can provide a robust performance and suppress the vibrations at the surgical instrument tip, which can enhance the quality and security of surgical procedures.