Force Sensing in Continuum Manipulators using Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors

The presence of force feedback in medical instruments has been proven to reduce tissue damage. In order to provide force feedback, information about the interaction forces between the instrument and the environment must be known. Direct measurement of these forces by commercial sensors is not feasible due to space limitations. Thus, in this study we propose to estimate the interaction forces using strain measurements from Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors. These measurements can also be used for shape sensing and as a result both force and shape can be sensed simultaneously. For force sensing two models are proposed and compared. The first is based on a Rigid Link approximation, while the second uses the Cosserat rod theory. The models are validated experimentally using a tendon-driven continuum manipulator that is subjected to forces at the tip. The force estimates from the models are compared to the measurements from a commercial force sensor. Mean absolute errors of 11.2 mN (6.9%) and 15.9 mN (8.3%) are observed for the Rigid Link model and Cosserat model, respectively.