Motion order system for the end effector of an instrument used in endoscopic surgery

Natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) has reduced the invasiveness of surgery by eliminating external incisions on the patient. With this type of procedure, recovery time is drastically shortened, cosmetics are improved, and infections and pain are greatly reduced. For NOTES procedures to be successfully performed, a flexible endoscope or similar instrument is important for passing orifice flexures. However, technological deficiencies like poor angulations of surgical instruments introduced through working channels in flexible endoscopes, the lack of scope fixation, and lack of scope stiffening are technological barriers which prevent NOTES from being widely accepted in human surgeries. A novel multifunctional robot with an articulated drive mechanism for NOTES has been developed. The steerable articulating drive mechanism is connected to the robotic end effector to guide the robot and navigate through a natural orifice. The design process for the articulating drive mechanism and engineering analysis are discussed in this paper. Workspace of the drive mechanism with and without a translational insertion degree of freedom is presented in detail. The kinematics of the drive mechanism is also discussed. Additionally, friction in the spherical joints of the drive mechanism is explored to characterize its influence on the overall shape achieved by the articulation, including the effects of varying the total length in the steering mechanism. The surgeon control console for the drive mechanism is briefly discussed as well. Bench-top testing results are presented as proof of feasibility of the design.

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Design of an Adjustable Table Mount for Multifunctional NOTES Robot

2017 Design of Medical Devices Conference ◽

10.1115/dmd2017-3329 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Shannon Fischer ◽

Tao Shen ◽

Carl Nelson ◽

Dmitry Oleynikov

Keyword(s):

Endoscopic Surgery ◽

Degrees Of Freedom ◽

Natural Orifice ◽

End Effector ◽

Surgical Method ◽

Limited Space ◽

External Incisions

Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is a method in which tools are passed through a natural orifice to the surgical site. This removes the need for external incisions, which can allow patients to recover more quickly without any visible abdominal scarring. This surgical method also has several limitations including limited space, complex lumen geography, and difficult visualization [1]. To address these problems, researchers have developed various tools, including endoscope-based robots [2], and insertable bimanual robots [3]. However, some of the aforementioned constraints/limitations remain, and consideration of accessories for use with these tools remains relevant. Our lab designed a multifunctional NOTES robot, which consists of a snakelike linkage driven by cables that are attached to motors in an external housing to navigate through the lumen geometry; it also includes a bimanual end effector with interchangeable tool tips [4]. This paper introduces the design of an adjustable table mount to address the limitations related to transluminal insertion. It provides four passive degrees of freedom (DOFs) to grossly place the robot, and enables the robot to be fixed on surgical tables with different sizes. Benchtop testing on a surgical table with a patient mannequin demonstrates its functionality.

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