Adaptive Admittance Control for Robotic Ultrasound Examination Based on a Breast Biomechanical Model
Dong Guo, Yongde Zhang, Fujun Zhang, Letao Lin, Tao HuangABSTRACT
Background
Autonomous Robotic Ultrasound Systems (ARUS) enable standardized breast cancer screening, but accurate breast localization and the nonlinear deformation of soft tissue hinder stable contact‐force control.
Methods
We propose a framework integrating visual perception with compliant control. An adaptive gradient‐based edge detector extracts the nipple position, and a Variable Damping Admittance Control based on a Breast Biomechanical Model (VDAC‐BBM) is developed, which compensates for tissue deformation via a biomechanical prior and dynamically tunes the damping parameter in real time to suppress force error.
Results
Phantom and human experiments showed force tracking error ≤ 0.4 N, with disturbance recovery speed improved by 16.5%–21.3% over conventional admittance control across the tested target forces.
Conclusion
Embedding a biomechanical prior into the control strategy enhances force compliance and stability during robotic scanning of deformable soft tissue, providing a technical basis for clinical translation.