scholarly journals Design of an Adjustable Table Mount for Multifunctional NOTES Robot

Author(s):  
Shannon Fischer ◽  
Tao Shen ◽  
Carl Nelson ◽  
Dmitry Oleynikov

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.

Author(s):  
Wei Jian Chin ◽  
Carl A. Nelson ◽  
Chi Min Seow

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.


2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinhua Li ◽  
Zemin Zhang ◽  
Shuxin Wang ◽  
Zufeng Shang ◽  
Guokai Zhang

Natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) has offered significant advantages of less pain, reduced recovery time, and minimized scar after operation, demonstrating a promising development prospect. However, the large-size specimen extraction remains challenging for NOTES, due to the narrow space of the human natural orifices. To address such difficulties, a specimen extraction method that utilizes the braided fiber tube (BFT) structure with excellent retractility to accommodate and bind the bulky specimen has been proposed. Based on the theory of helical spring, the geometric model and the mechanical model of the BFT are established, and experiments have been performed to verify the accuracy of the derived mechanical model. In addition, a tensile test of using the BFT to extract large specimens via a small channel is carried out, which verifies the stable extraction performance of the proposed design. The BFT will not be damaged when extracting the specimen with a diameter less than 1.75 times of the channel diameter. A NOTES-specific specimen extraction instrument is designed according to the characteristics of NOTES, and it has three degrees-of-freedom and is able to actively capture different specimen by using a suction cup. Finally, specimen extraction experiments on NOTES multitasking platform phantom have been conducted using the prototyped instrument to validate its feasibility and effectiveness.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 2346
Author(s):  
Alessandro Tringali ◽  
Silvio Cocuzza

The minimization of energy consumption is of the utmost importance in space robotics. For redundant manipulators tracking a desired end-effector trajectory, most of the proposed solutions are based on locally optimal inverse kinematics methods. On the one hand, these methods are suitable for real-time implementation; nevertheless, on the other hand, they often provide solutions quite far from the globally optimal one and, moreover, are prone to singularities. In this paper, a novel inverse kinematics method for redundant manipulators is presented, which overcomes the above mentioned issues and is suitable for real-time implementation. The proposed method is based on the optimization of the kinetic energy integral on a limited subset of future end-effector path points, making the manipulator joints to move in the direction of minimum kinetic energy. The proposed method is tested by simulation of a three degrees of freedom (DOF) planar manipulator in a number of test cases, and its performance is compared to the classical pseudoinverse solution and to a global optimal method. The proposed method outperforms the pseudoinverse-based one and proves to be able to avoid singularities. Furthermore, it provides a solution very close to the global optimal one with a much lower computational time, which is compatible for real-time implementation.


2003 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 481-501 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shigeyuki Shimachi ◽  
Akira Hashimoto ◽  
Masamichi Sakaguchi

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priscilla Magno ◽  
Mouen A. Khashab ◽  
Manuel Mas ◽  
Samuel A. Giday ◽  
Jonathan M. Buscaglia ◽  
...  

Background. NOTES techniques allow transesophageal access to the mediastinum. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of transesophageal biopsy of thoracic vertebrae.Methods. Nonsurvival experiments on four 50-kg porcine animals were performed. Transesophageal access to the mediastinum was attained using submucosal tunneling technique.Results. The posterior mediastinum was successfully accessed and navigated in all animals. Vertebral bodies and intervertebral spaces were easily approached while avoiding damage to adjacent vessels. Bone biopsy was successfully performed without complications, but the hardness of bone tissue resulted in small and fragmented samples.Conclusions. Peroral transesophageal access into the posterior mediastinum and thoracic vertebral bone biopsy was feasible and safe. The proximity of the esophagus to the vertebral column provides close and direct access to the thoracic spine and opens up new ground for the performance of multilevel anterior spine procedures using NOTES techniques.


2007 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. AB293
Author(s):  
Marvin Ryou ◽  
Reina D. Pai ◽  
Derek G. Fong ◽  
Christopher C. Thompson

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