State of the art in movement around a remote point: a review of remote center of motion in robotics

Abstract

The concept of remote center of motion (RCM) is pivotal in a myriad of robotic applications, encompassing areas such as medical robotics, orientation devices, and exoskeletal systems. The efficacy of RCM technology is a determining factor in the success of these robotic domains. This paper offers an exhaustive review of RCM technologies, elaborating on their various methodologies and practical implementations. It delves into the unique characteristics of RCM across different degrees of freedom (DOFs), aiming to distill their fundamental principles. In addition, this paper categorizes RCM approaches into two primary classifications: design based and control based. These are further organized according to their respective DOFs, providing a concise summary of their core methodologies. Building upon the understanding of RCM’s versatile capabilities, this paper then transitions to an in-depth exploration of its applications across diverse robotic fields. Concluding this review, we critically analyze the existing research challenges and issues that are inherently present in both RCM methodologies and their applications. This discussion is intended to serve as a guiding framework for future research endeavors and practical deployments in related areas.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

remote center of motion / mechanism / robotics / medical robot / orientation device / exoskeleton

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Nomenclature

Abbreviations
Ar	Arc guide joint
DOF	Degree of freedom
HRC	Human‒robot collaboration
MIS	Minimally invasive surgery
P	Prismatic
Pa	Parallelogram
R	Rotation
U	Universal
RCM	Remote center of motion
RNN	Recurrent neural network
T	Translation
VC	Virtual center
Variables
JRCM	Jacobian matrix from the joints to the RCM point controlled by the RCM algorithms
{\dot{\mathit{p}}}_{\text{RCM}}	RCM point in the three-dimensional Cartesian space
q	Joint parameter vector
S	Screw in a six-dimensional
Sjoint-j	Motion screw of the jth joint
v	Unit vector in the v-direction
w	Unit vector in the w-direction
x	Unit vector in the x-direction in the world coordinate system
y	Unit vector in the y-direction in the world coordinate system
z	Unit vector in the z-direction in the world coordinate system
λ	RCM position parameter for the serial robot

Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2022YFB4701200), the Ningbo Key Projects of Science and Technology Innovation 2025 Plan of China (Grant No. 2022Z070), the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. LD22E050011), the Science Fund for Creative Research Groups of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. T2121003), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52205003). The authors gratefully acknowledge these supporting agencies.

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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