Simulation of Whisker Sensor in Robotic Assisted Beating Cardiac Surgery

A novel method was presented to measure the motion of the heart with the whisker sensor in robotic assisted beating cardiac surgery. The whisker sensor is a flexible, high-precision，low stiffness contact sensor designed for real-time accurate measuring heart motion. The sensor tip can be in continuous contact with the surface of the heart, which can actively cancel the relative motion between the surgical instruments and the surgical site on the beating heart. The proposed highly sensitive sensor employs a linear position sensor connected to two flexible cantilever beams that are attached orthogonally with a ridged joint. The theoretical formula was derived from the mechanical model which established based on the classical mechanics of materials．Finally，finite-element simulations were done with the ANSYS to prove the feasibility and validity of the method.