Variable stiffness device and surgical grasping device
The variable stiffness device addresses the challenges of existing surgical grippers by employing a flexible sheet structure with adjustable rigidity through the jamming transition phenomenon, enabling efficient grasping and cutting of soft tissue organs.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2022531840
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2020-06-22
- Filing Date
- 2021-06-15
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-11
- Estimated Expiration
- 2041-06-15
AI Technical Summary
Current surgical grippers face challenges in efficiently grasping and cutting soft tissue organs due to limitations in rigidity adjustment, with existing devices either lacking sufficient rigidity to maintain organ stability or having low rigidity that leads to organ movement during cutting.
A variable stiffness device comprising two flexible sheets with a base material, a low-rigidity portion, and friction materials, covered by a bag-shaped cover with a vent for fluid suction, allowing for a significant range of rigidity change through the jamming transition phenomenon.
The device achieves a large range of rigidity change with a simple structure, allowing for efficient grasping and cutting of soft tissue organs by adjusting its stiffness in real-time without generating heat, thus overcoming the limitations of existing grippers.
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a variable stiffness device applicable to surgical instruments, robotic hands, etc., and a surgical grasping device.
Background Art
[0002] As a surgical instrument, there is disclosed a structure including a cantilevered first beam formed of a material having an axial stiffness in the longitudinal direction greater than the bending stiffness, a cantilevered second beam provided on top of the first beam and formed of a material having an axial stiffness in the longitudinal direction greater than the bending stiffness, a film connected to a suction tube and covering the first beam and the second beam, and one or more suction portions provided on the first beam (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-146785). The suction tube is connected to a first pump that sucks liquid or gas, and a negative pressure is applied by the first pump. The first beam and the second beam covered by the film have their hardness adjusted according to the magnitude of the negative pressure.
[0003] Also, there is disclosed a device capable of shape forming including a locking sheet (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-500990). This device has a first state in which the device is formable and a second state in which the device has a desired shape and is substantially more difficult to form than the first state. This device can further include a coating that defines a chamber, a port arranged to be in fluid communication with the periphery of the chamber, and at least two locking sheets arranged in the chamber in a configuration where they at least partially overlap. It is said that the two locking sheets can form a substantially single rigid sheet by engaging with each other.
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] For example, in laparoscopic surgery, when cutting off organs such as the liver with scissors, in order to efficiently cut off the organ, the area around the part to be cut off may be grasped with a gripper. Currently, grippers made of materials with high rigidity such as stainless steel or materials with low rigidity such as rubber are mainly used. If it is a gripper made of a material with high rigidity such as forceps, the grasping area is small, and there are concerns about the impact on the organ. Also, if it is a gripper made of a material with low rigidity, it can be grasped along the shape of the organ and the grasping area can be increased, but due to the low rigidity, the organ may move while being grasped, and it may not be possible to efficiently cut off the organ with scissors.
[0005] On the other hand, a device based on the "jamming transition phenomenon" that fills a bag-shaped container made of a soft material with fine powder and sucks out the internal air to increase rigidity has attracted attention mainly in the field of soft robotics. However, since the filler is powder, there is a weakness that the strength cannot be maintained against a load in the direction of pulling off the powder.
[0006] Looking at the prior art in terms of applications, in devices that adsorb and grasp the surface of soft tissue organs, almost all of them do not change their rigidity, and grippers that change their rigidity do not exist except for the conventional examples described in Patent Document 1 above. Also in Patent Document 1, there is no mention of optimizing the material or structure at all, and it only describes the basic theory and basic structure for causing a change in rigidity.
[0007] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a variable rigidity device and a surgical grasping device that have a simple structure and can increase the range of rigidity change.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0008] The variable stiffness device according to the first aspect includes a base material made of a sheet-like elastic material with a plurality of concave portions and a plurality of convex portions formed on one surface thereof, a low-rigidity portion disposed in the concave portions and bonded to the concave portions so that the one surface becomes flat and made of an elastic material having a lower elastic modulus than the base material, and a friction material provided on the one surface. The variable stiffness device includes two flexible sheets. The two flexible sheets are covered with a bag-shaped cover with the friction materials facing each other, and further have a vent hole that enables suction of fluid between the flexible sheets and inside the cover from the outside of the cover.
[0009] In this variable stiffness device, the two flexible sheets are covered with a bag-shaped cover with the friction materials facing each other. Before sucking the fluid between the flexible sheets and inside the cover from the outside of the cover, that is, when the inside of the cover is in the state of atmospheric pressure, the two flexible sheets are not in close contact with each other, and the two flexible sheets are each deformable. Also, when the two flexible sheets are not in close contact with each other, the frictional force generated between the friction materials is small, so the deformation of the two flexible sheets is hardly hindered from each other. Therefore, the shape of the flexible sheet can be changed so that the variable stiffness device follows the object to be gripped.
[0010] When the fluid between the flexible sheets and inside the cover is sucked from the outside of the cover through the vent hole, the two flexible sheets come into close contact with each other, and a kind of jamming transition phenomenon occurs and they are integrated. At this time, since the friction materials are in close contact with each other, it becomes difficult for the two flexible sheets to slide relative to each other, and the relative deformation of the two flexible sheets is suppressed. By integrating the two flexible sheets in this way, the bending stiffness of the flexible sheet becomes higher than when there is one flexible sheet. Since the jamming transition phenomenon is utilized, there is no generation of heat, and different from the case of using a chemical reaction, the bending stiffness can be changed immediately.
[0011] Furthermore, since the flexible sheet has a base material and a low-rigidity portion formed using an elastic material with a lower elastic modulus than the base material, the bending rigidity of the flexible sheet in a state where the inside of the cover is at atmospheric pressure is lower compared to the case where it is composed only of the base material and no low-rigidity portion is provided. Therefore, a simple structure can achieve a large range of rigidity change.
[0012] A second aspect is the variable-rigidity device according to the first aspect, wherein the base material is suppressed from expanding and contracting in a predetermined direction by a reinforcing member extending in the predetermined direction and is capable of bending deformation.
[0013] In this variable-rigidity device, since the expansion and contraction of the base material of the flexible sheet in a predetermined direction is suppressed by a reinforcing member extending in the predetermined direction, when the fluid inside the cover is sucked, the flexible sheet is prevented from shrinking in that direction and further changing its shape from the shape conforming to the object to be gripped.
[0014] A third aspect is the variable-rigidity device according to the first aspect or the second aspect, wherein in the friction material of one of the flexible sheets, a groove communicating with the vent hole is formed and does not contact the other flexible sheet when the fluid between the flexible sheets is sucked.
[0015] In this variable-rigidity device, a groove communicating with the vent hole is formed in the friction material of one of the flexible sheets and does not contact the other flexible sheet when the fluid between the flexible sheets is sucked. Therefore, even if the flexible sheets adhere to each other during suction, a fluid flow path communicating with the vent hole remains. Thus, compared to the case where there is no such groove, the fluid can more easily escape from between the flexible sheets, and the fluid remaining between the flexible sheets can be reduced. Also, thereby, the degree of adhesion between the two flexible sheets can be increased.
[0016] A fourth aspect is the variable-rigidity device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein a through hole penetrating in the thickness direction is formed in one of the flexible sheets, and an adsorbing member having air permeability over the entire surface and capable of adsorbing to the object to be gripped is provided on the surface of the flexible sheet opposite to the friction material.
[0017] In this variable stiffness device, through holes penetrating in the thickness direction are formed in one flexible sheet, and an adsorbing member having air permeability over the entire surface and capable of adsorbing to an object to be gripped is provided on the surface of the flexible sheet opposite to the friction material. Therefore, the variable stiffness device can be adsorbed to the object to be gripped.
[0018] A fifth aspect is the surgical gripping device according to the fourth aspect, wherein the cover covers the entire device except the adsorbing member so as to prevent the inflow of air from outside the device during adsorption and maintain the negative pressure inside the device by suction during adsorption.
[0019] A sixth aspect is the variable stiffness device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein an operating handle is provided on the flexible sheet.
[0020] In this variable stiffness device, by gripping the handle with an instrument such as forceps, the object to be gripped held by the variable stiffness device can be freely operated.
[0021] The surgical gripping device according to the seventh aspect includes a base material made of a sheet-like elastic material with a plurality of concave portions and a plurality of convex portions formed on one surface, a low-rigidity portion arranged in the concave portions and bonded to the concave portions so that the one surface becomes flat and made of an elastic material having a lower elastic modulus than the base material, and a friction material provided on the one surface. The surgical gripping device includes two flexible sheets. The two flexible sheets are covered with a bag-shaped cover with the friction materials facing each other. Further, the surgical gripping device has a vent for sucking the fluid between the flexible sheets and inside the cover from outside the cover. Through holes penetrating in the thickness direction are formed in one of the flexible sheets, and an adsorbing member having air permeability over the entire surface and capable of adsorbing to an object to be gripped is provided on the surface of the flexible sheet opposite to the friction material. It is possible to adsorb the adsorbing member to an internal organ and grip the internal organ.
[0022] An eighth aspect is the surgical gripping device according to the seventh aspect, wherein the base material is suppressed from expanding and contracting in a predetermined direction by a reinforcing material extending in the predetermined direction and is capable of bending deformation.
[0023] Aspect 9 is the surgical grasping device according to Aspect 7 or Aspect 8, wherein the friction material of one of the flexible sheets is not in contact with the other flexible sheet when sucking the fluid between the flexible sheets, and a groove communicating with the vent is formed.
[0024] Aspect 10 is the surgical grasping device according to any one of Aspects 7 to 9, wherein the cover covers the entire device except the suction member so as to prevent the inflow of air from outside the device during suction and maintain the negative pressure inside the device due to suction during suction.
[0025] Aspect 11 is the surgical grasping device according to any one of Aspects 7 to 10, wherein an operating handle is provided on the flexible sheet.
Advantages of the Invention
[0026] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a variable rigidity device and a surgical grasping device having a simple structure and capable of greatly expanding the range of rigidity change.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0027]
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7
Mode for Carrying Out the Invention
[0028] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Components denoted by the same reference numerals in each drawing mean the same components. In the embodiments described below, redundant descriptions and reference numerals may be omitted.
[0029] In the drawings, the arrow X direction indicates the longitudinal direction of the surgical grasping device, the arrow Y direction indicates the width direction of the surgical grasping device, and the arrow Z direction indicates the height direction of the surgical grasping device. In the present embodiment, "rigidity" means bending rigidity.
[0030] In FIG. 1, the surgical grasping device 10 according to the present embodiment is a kind of variable rigidity device, and includes two flexible sheets 12 and 14, a cover 16, and a vent 18. The two flexible sheets 12 and 14 are covered with a bag-shaped cover 16 in a state where the friction materials 24 described later face each other.
[0031] The flexible sheets 12 and 14 each have a base material 20, a low rigidity portion 22, and a friction material 24. The base material 20 is formed of a sheet-like elastic material, for example, rubber. The planar shape of the base material 20 is, for example, a rectangle, but may be other shapes such as other quadrilaterals, polygons other than quadrilaterals, circles, ovals, ellipses, etc. The base material 20 is suppressed from expanding and contracting in the direction by a reinforcing material 26 extending in a predetermined direction and is made bendable. The predetermined direction is, for example, the longitudinal direction indicated by the arrow X in the drawing. As the reinforcing material 26, for example, a belt using aromatic polyamide fiber is used. Note that the reinforcing material 26 is shown only in FIG. 1 and is not shown in other figures.
[0032] On one surface of the base material 20, a plurality of concave portions 20B and a plurality of convex portions 20A are formed. Specifically, considering the ease of processing, the concave portions 20B and the convex portions 20A each extend in the width direction (arrow Y direction) and are linearly formed over the entire width of the base material 20. Further, the concave portions 20B and the convex portions 20A are alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction (arrow X direction). In a front view seen from the arrow Y direction, the concave portions 20B and the convex portions 20A are continuously formed in a sine wave shape.
[0033] The low-rigidity portion 22 is arranged by being filled in the concave portion 20B so that one surface of the base material 20 becomes flat and is bonded to the concave portion 20B. This low-rigidity portion 22 is composed of an elastic material having a lower elastic modulus than the base material 20. As this elastic material, for example, a silicon or urethane caulking agent can be used. In this way, the flexible sheets 12, 14 have a three-layer structure of a relatively high-rigidity base material 20, a relatively low-rigidity low-rigidity portion 22, and a friction material 24. Taking the flexible sheet 12 as an example, the upper layer of the base material 20 without the concave portions 20B and the convex portions 20A has the highest rigidity. The lower layer composed of the convex portions 20A and the concave portions 20B having the low-rigidity portion 22 has high-rigidity portions and low-rigidity portions alternately present in the longitudinal direction, is lower in rigidity than the upper layer, and is higher in rigidity than only the low-rigidity portion 22.
[0034] The friction material 24 is provided on one surface of the base material 20 and is composed of an elastic material such as rubber having a larger friction coefficient than, for example, the base material 20 or the low-rigidity portion 22. The friction coefficient is set so as to suppress relative slippage between the two flexible sheets 12, 14 during suction inside the cover 16. Further, from the viewpoint of ensuring the bending rigidity of the surgical grasping device 10, it is desirable that the top of the convex portion 20A of the base material 20 is in contact with the friction material 24, but a slight low-rigidity portion 22 may be interposed between the top and the friction material 24. As shown in FIG. 4, the tops of the convex portions 20A of the base material 20 in the flexible sheets 12, 14 are arranged to face each other in the vertical direction (arrow Z direction).
[0035] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in the friction material 24 of one flexible sheet, for example, the upper flexible sheet 12, when sucking air as an example of the fluid between the flexible sheets 12 and 14, it does not contact the other flexible sheet, that is, the lower flexible sheet 14, and a groove 28 communicating with the vent 18 is formed. The groove 28 is formed, for example, by omitting the friction material 24 over the entire length in the longitudinal direction (arrow X direction) at the central portion in the width direction (arrow Y direction) of the flexible sheet 12. In other words, at the portion of the groove 28, the bottom surface of the upper flexible sheet 12 is exposed. Note that the groove 28 may be formed by forming a part of the friction material 24 to be thin. Further, a plurality of guide grooves (not shown) communicating with the groove 28 may be provided in the friction material 24. In this case, it is possible to further suppress the air accumulation between the friction materials 24 facing each other. Also, the groove may be provided in the friction material 24 of the lower flexible sheet 12.
[0036] The vent 18 is a tube body that enables sucking air between the flexible sheets 12 and 14 and inside the cover 16 from the outside of the cover 16, and is provided, for example, penetrating the cover 16. As shown in FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the vent 18 penetrates the cover 16 and further penetrates the upper flexible sheet 12 and opens into the groove 28. Note that the vent 18 may be configured to open into a through hole 12A provided in the upper flexible sheet 12. Also, in the case where the surgical grasping device 10 is not configured to adsorb to the grasping target 30 (FIGS. 6 and 7), the vent 18 may open into the cover 16 and not penetrate the flexible sheet 12.
[0037] In the other flexible sheet, for example, the lower flexible sheet 14, through holes 14A penetrating in the thickness direction are formed. A plurality of through holes 14A are provided along the longitudinal direction (arrow X direction), and each opens into the groove 28 (FIGS. 5 and 6). On the surface of the flexible sheet 14 opposite to the friction material 24, that is, the bottom surface 14B, an adsorbing member 32 having air permeability over the entire surface and capable of adsorbing to the grasping target 30 may be provided. The adsorbing member 32 is made of a material having air permeability and flexibility, such as a sponge.
[0038] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, for example, an operating handle 34 may be provided on the lower flexible sheet 14. This handle 34 has three legs 34B and a triangular ring 34A that connects the upper ends of the legs 34B in a triangular shape. The handle 34 is formed by, for example, bringing together or abutting the portions of three substantially U-shaped wire rods that constitute the legs 34B of the handle 34 and fixing them to the side surface of the flexible sheet 14. Thereby, it becomes easy to apply torque to the surgical grasping device 10 by grasping one side of the triangular ring 34A of the handle 34 and one location of the leg 34B at once with a grasping tool such as forceps 36 (FIG. 7), and the operability is improved.
[0039] The bag-shaped cover 16 has a volume slightly larger than the volumes of the two flexible sheets 12 and 14 and the suction member 32, and houses the flexible sheets 12 and 14 and the suction member 32. A membrane 16A that extends in the longitudinal and width directions of the flexible sheet 14 is provided around the suction member 32 at the lower edge of the cover 16. The membrane 16A is in close contact with the periphery of the suction member 32. Note that the cover 16 may be transparent or opaque.
[0040] (Operation) This embodiment is configured as described above, and its operation will be described below. In FIG. 5, in the surgical grasping device 10 according to this embodiment, the two flexible sheets 12 and 14 are covered with a bag-shaped cover 16 with the friction materials 24 facing each other. Before sucking the air between the flexible sheets 12 and 14 and inside the cover 16 from the outside of the cover 16, that is, when the inside of the cover 16 is in an atmospheric pressure state, the two flexible sheets 12 and 14 are not in close contact with each other, and the two flexible sheets 12 and 14 are each deformable. Also, when the two flexible sheets 12 and 14 are not in close contact with each other, the frictional force generated between the friction materials 24 is small, so the deformation of the two flexible sheets 12 and 14 is hardly hindered by each other. Therefore, the shape of the flexible sheets 12 and 14 can be changed so that the surgical grasping device follows the object to be grasped 30 (FIGS. 6 and 7).
[0041] Next, in FIG. 6, when air between the flexible sheets 12 and 14 and inside the cover 16 is sucked from the outside of the cover 16 through the vent 18, the two flexible sheets 12 and 14 come into close contact with each other, and a kind of jamming transition phenomenon occurs and they are integrated. In the present embodiment, a groove 28 communicating with the vent 18 is formed in the friction material 24 of one of the flexible sheets 12 and 14 so as not to contact the other flexible sheet 12 and 14 when air between the flexible sheets 12 and 14 is sucked. Therefore, even when the flexible sheets 12 and 14 are in close contact with each other during suction, an air flow path communicating with the vent 18 remains. Accordingly, compared with the case where the groove 28 is not provided, air can easily escape from between the flexible sheets 12 and 14, and the air remaining between the flexible sheets 12 and 14 can be reduced. Further, thereby, the degree of adhesion between the two flexible sheets 12 and 14 can be increased.
[0042] Since the friction materials 24 are in close contact with each other, it becomes difficult for the two flexible sheets 12 and 14 to slide relative to each other, and the relative deformation of the two flexible sheets 12 and 14 is suppressed. By integrating the two flexible sheets 12 and 14 in this way, the bending rigidity of the flexible sheets 12 and 14 becomes higher than that in the case where the flexible sheet is single. Since the jamming transition phenomenon is utilized, heat is not generated, and different from the case of using a chemical reaction, the bending rigidity can be immediately changed. Since the base material 20 of the flexible sheets 12 and 14 is suppressed from expanding and contracting in the longitudinal direction by the reinforcing material 26, when air inside the cover 16 is sucked, the flexible sheets 12 and 14 are prevented from shrinking in that direction and further changing the shape of the flexible sheets 12 and 14 from the shape along the gripping object 30.
[0043] Furthermore, since the flexible sheets 12 and 14 have a low-rigidity portion 22 formed by using an elastic material having a lower elastic modulus than the base material 20, compared with the case where the flexible sheets 12 and 14 are composed only of the base material 20 and no low-rigidity portion 22 is provided, the bending rigidity of the flexible sheets 12 and 14 is lower when the inside of the cover 16 is in the atmospheric pressure state. For this reason, the range of rigidity change can be increased with a simple structure.
[0044] In this embodiment, through holes 14A penetrating in the thickness direction are formed in one of the flexible sheets 12 and 14, and an adsorption member 32 having air permeability over the entire surface and capable of adsorbing to a gripping target is provided on the surface of the flexible sheets 12 and 14 opposite to the friction material 24. Therefore, the surgical gripping device 10 can be adsorbed to the gripping target 30. Since a membrane 16A is provided around the adsorption member 32, the adsorption force to the gripping target 30 can be increased. When the surgical gripping device 10 adsorbs to, for example, an organ which is the gripping target 30, the air vent 18 is closed at the same time, and the surgical gripping device 10 shifts to a high-rigidity state.
[0045] Furthermore, in FIG. 7, by grasping the handle 34 with an instrument such as forceps 36, the gripping target 30 adsorbed by the surgical gripping device 10 can be freely operated. Since the bending rigidity of the flexible sheets 12 and 14 is increased by adsorption, the operating force applied to the surgical gripping device 10 from an instrument such as forceps 36 is efficiently transmitted to the gripping target 30. Thereby, when performing a surgery to cut off a part of an internal organ as an example of the gripping target 30 with scissors 38, for example, it becomes easy to adsorb two surgical gripping devices 10 to the internal organ and apply forces in two directions to the internal organ.
[0046] Also, since the adsorption member 32 has air permeability over the entire surface, local adsorption to the gripping target 30 can be suppressed, and the influence on the gripping target 30 due to adsorption can be suppressed. According to the present disclosure, an improved variable-rigidity device and the surgical gripping device 10 can be provided.
[0047] [Other Embodiments] As described above, an example of the embodiment of the present disclosure has been described. However, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the above, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist thereof.
[0048] In the above embodiment, the groove 28 is formed in the friction material 24, but the groove 28 may be omitted. Further, although the surgical grasping device 10 is configured to adsorb to the object to be grasped 30, it may be configured not to adsorb. Specifically, a configuration may be adopted in which the through hole 14A is not provided in the lower flexible sheet 14 and the adsorption member 32 is not provided. As an example of this, the case where the surgical grasping device 10 is installed on the finger of a robotic arm can be considered (not shown). Since the object to be grasped can be grasped by the grasping force of the robotic arm, the surgical grasping device 10 does not necessarily have to adsorb to the object to be grasped.
[0049] Although the operation handle 34 is provided on the flexible sheet 14, the handle 34 does not have to be provided as long as there is a means for operating the surgical grasping device 10.
[0050] Although air is cited as an example of the fluid, the fluid may be a gas or a liquid other than air.
[0051] The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-107306 filed on June 22, 2020 is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. All documents, patent applications, and technical standards described in this specification are incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each individual document, patent application, and technical standard were specifically and individually stated to be incorporated by reference.
Claims
1. A base material made of a sheet-like elastic material with a plurality of concave portions and a plurality of convex portions formed on one surface, a low-rigidity portion disposed in the concave portions and bonded to the concave portions so that the one surface becomes flat, and made of an elastic material having a lower elastic modulus than the base material, and two flexible sheets having a friction material provided on the one surface. The two flexible sheets are covered with a bag-shaped cover with the friction materials facing each other. Furthermore, it has a vent hole that enables suction of the fluid between the flexible sheets and inside the cover from the outside of the cover. A variable rigidity device.
2. The variable rigidity device according to claim 1, wherein the base material is suppressed from expanding and contracting in a predetermined direction by a reinforcing material extending in the direction and is capable of bending deformation.
3. In the friction material of one of the flexible sheets, a groove communicating with the vent hole is formed so as not to contact the other flexible sheet when sucking the fluid between the flexible sheets. The variable rigidity device according to claim 1 or claim 2.
4. A through hole penetrating in the thickness direction is formed in one of the flexible sheets. An adsorbing member having air permeability over the entire surface and capable of adsorbing to an object to be gripped is provided on the surface of the flexible sheet opposite to the friction material. The variable rigidity device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
5. The variable rigidity device according to claim 4, wherein the cover covers the entire device except for the adsorbing member so as to prevent the inflow of air from the outside of the device during adsorption and maintain the negative pressure inside the device during suction adsorption.
6. The variable rigidity device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein an operating handle is provided on the flexible sheet.
7. A base material made of a sheet-like elastic material with a plurality of concave portions and a plurality of convex portions formed on one surface, a low-rigidity portion disposed in the concave portions and bonded to the concave portions so that the one surface becomes flat, and made of an elastic material having a lower elastic modulus than the base material, and two flexible sheets having a friction material provided on the one surface. The two flexible sheets are covered with a bag-shaped cover with the friction materials facing each other. Furthermore, it has a vent hole that enables suction of the fluid between the flexible sheets and inside the cover from the outside of the cover. A through hole penetrating in the thickness direction is formed in one of the flexible sheets. An adsorbing member that has air permeability throughout and can be adsorbed to an object to be gripped is provided on the surface of the flexible sheet opposite to the friction material. A surgical grasping device capable of adsorbing the adsorbing member to an internal organ and grasping the internal organ. **Claim 8** The surgical grasping device according to claim 7, wherein the base material is suppressed from expanding and contracting in a predetermined direction by a reinforcing material extending in the direction and is bendable. **Claim 9** In the friction material of one of the flexible sheets, grooves communicating with the vent holes are formed so as not to contact the other flexible sheet when fluid is sucked between the flexible sheets. The surgical grasping device according to claim 7 or claim 8. **Claim 10** The cover covers the entire device except for the adsorbing member so as to prevent air from flowing in from the outside of the device during adsorption and maintain the negative pressure inside the device due to suction during adsorption. The surgical grasping device according to any one of claims 7 to 9. **Claim 11** The surgical grasping device according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein an operating handle is provided on the flexible sheet.
Citation Information
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