This research focuses on robot-assisted percutaneous needle insertion, aiming to integrate meaningful kinesthetic feedback with State-Guidance Shared Control to enhance user control and task precision. A novel passive haptic guidance algorithm enhancing user control is developed and evaluated.
A leader-follower setup is employed, where a Virtuose 6D haptic device guides a Franka Emika robotic arm equipped with a needle and force/torque sensor for insertion into a PVC phantom. Passive guidance uses decoupled virtual springs and dampers to assist alignment, offering unconstrained and constrained modes.
The developed algorithm is compared to state-of-the-art active haptic guidance. Experiments involve participants aligning the needle to reach a dynamically simulated tumour, with metrics evaluating accuracy, time, and ease of use.