Needle shape, diameter, and path are critical parameters that directly affect suture depth and tissue trauma in autonomous suturing. This paper presents an optimization-based approach to specify these parameters. Given clinical suturing guidelines, a kinematic model of needle-tissue interaction was developed to quantify suture parameters and constraints. The model was further used to formulate constant curvature needle path planning as a nonlinear optimization problem. The optimization results were confirmed experimentally with the Raven II surgical system. The proposed needle path planning algorithm guarantees minimal tissue trauma and complies with a wide range of suturing requirements.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1901.04588,
title = {Optimal Needle Diameter, Shape, and Path in Autonomous Suturing},
author = {S. Aghajani Pedram and P. Ferguson and J. Ma and E. Dutson and J. Rosen},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1901.04588},
year = {2019}
}