Abstract: Micro incision vitrectomy system (MIVS) is considered to be one of the most difficult tasks of eye surgery, due to its requirements of high accuracy and delicate operation under blurred vision environment. Therefore, robot-assisted ophthalmic surgery is a potential and efficient solution. Based on that consideration, a novel master-slave system for vitreoretinal surgery is realized. A 4-DOF remote center of motion (RCM) mechanism with a novel linear stage and end-effector is designed and the master-slave control system is implemented. The forward and inverse kinematics are analyzed for the controller implementation. Then, algorithms with motion scaling are also integrated into the control architecture for the purpose to enhance the surgeon’s operation accuracy. Finally, experiments on an eye model are conducted. The results show that the eye robotic system can fulfill surgeon’s motion following and simulate operation of vitrectomy, demonstrating the feasibility of this system.

Key words: robot assistance, eye surgery, kinematics, master-slave