Surgical Robot Cart Mass Simulation Fixture

Overview

I designed and built a configurable steel test cart to simulate the weight and center of gravity of next-generation surgical robot arm carts during early development. The team needed to evaluate how different mass distributions would affect cart handling and usability, but they didn't have a way to physically test these configurations before committing to a production design.

Now, the team can load the cart to specific weight targets and adjust the center of gravity to match proposed designs. They can run user studies with realistic mass properties and get direct feedback on handling characteristics before finalizing the production cart specifications.

The fixture handles two target configurations, 155 kg and 275 kg total mass, using standard barbell weights mounted on custom adapters. By providing a physical testbed during the design phase, the team could validate mass and center of gravity targets through actual user interaction rather than relying solely on simulations or assumptions.

Key Features

• Modular weight system: standard barbell weights attach via custom-designed adapters, allowing quick reconfiguration between test cases without modification to the base structure.
• Production-representative construction: A36 steel CNC-fabricated components provide realistic mass distribution and structural rigidity matching production intent.
• Full assembly documentation: complete 3D models and 2D manufacturing drawings created in Creo Parametric for all custom components.