Authors
Haider Abidi, Giada Gerboni, Margherita Brancadoro, Jan Fras, Alessandro Diodato, Matteo Cianchetti, Helge Wurdemann, Kaspar Althoefer, Arianna Menciassi
Publication date
2018/2
Journal
The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery
Volume
14
Issue
1
Pages
e1875
Description
Background
For some surgical interventions, like the Total Mesorectal Excision (TME), traditional laparoscopes lack the flexibility to safely maneuver and reach difficult surgical targets. This paper answers this need through designing, fabricating and modelling a highly dexterous 2‐module soft robot for minimally invasive surgery (MIS).
Methods
A soft robotic approach is proposed that uses flexible fluidic actuators (FFAs) allowing highly dexterous and inherently safe navigation. Dexterity is provided by an optimized design of fluid chambers within the robot modules. Safe physical interaction is ensured by fabricating the entire structure by soft and compliant elastomers, resulting in a squeezable 2‐module robot. An inner free lumen/chamber along the central axis serves as a guide of flexible endoscopic tools. A constant curvature based inverse kinematics model is also proposed, providing insight into the robot …
Total citations
20182019202020212022202320248141817202714
Scholar articles
H Abidi, G Gerboni, M Brancadoro, J Fras, A Diodato… - The International Journal of Medical Robotics and …, 2018