Abstract: Objective　To introduce a novel man-machine cooperative robot, and to carry out animal experimental study on its feasibility of assisting craniotomy. Methods　Four beagles underwent craniotomy. Titanium nails were implanted into the skull before preoperative CT scans. During the craniotomy, the head was immobilized and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) was adopted for intraoperative scans. The robot and head were registered by an end-effector with labeled steel balls. The pre-operative design was aligned to the titanium nails in intra-operative CT scans. Safety was assessed by rate of dural tears and postoperative complications. Accuracy was evaluated by coincidence rate of the cranial window and deviation between preoperative design and postoperative CT scans. Results　All operations were successful. No dural tears or postoperative complications were observed. The mean coincidence rate of the cranial window was 94.08%±2.32%. The absolute error of the center point of the drilling holes was （0.9394±0.1497） mm, with an angle error of 3.37° ±1.47° . The mean linear deviation value was (1.056±0.129) mm in the upper surface, and (1.087±0.096) mm in the lower surface. Conclusion　Thisnovel man-machine cooperative robot is feasible and safe for assisting craniotomy. More technique should be integrated in its next generation for more convenient use.

Key words: Man-machine cooperative robot, 　Robot-assisted surgery, 　Craniotomy, 　Beagles