Cable-Driven Surgical Manipulator for Precision in Tight Spaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current robotic surgical instruments are bulky, lack dexterity, and have insufficient stiffness, precision, and payload capacity, leading to increased operative time and imprecise performance in minimally invasive surgery.
Innovation Solution
A cable-driven mechanical transmission system for micro-manipulators providing enhanced dexterity, stiffness, speed, and payload capacity, enabling intuitive user interface and navigation through multiple abdominal quadrants with a mechanical surgical instrument design combining the advantages of laparoscopy and robotic surgery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If robotic surgical instruments are used, then dexterity and precision are improved, but device size and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system is divided into modular components: a master control unit outside the patient's body, a flexible catheter with multiple segments, and micro-manipulators at the distal end. This segmentation allows the complex robotic functions to be distributed, with only the essential manipulation components inside the body cavity, reducing overall device volume while maintaining precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The micro-manipulators are nested within the flexible catheter structure, with multiple degrees of freedom arranged concentrically. The distal manipulator is contained within the proximal manipulator, allowing compact packaging of multiple actuation mechanisms while maintaining full functionality for complex surgical tasks.
2Strength
If robotic systems are used, then stiffness and payload capacity are improved, but device complexity and preparation time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces complex external robotic arms with a flexible catheter-based mechanism that uses internal pressure actuation and elastic deformation to achieve manipulation. This mechanical substitution simplifies the overall system by eliminating heavy motors and complex transmission mechanisms, reducing device complexity while maintaining payload capacity through smart material design.
3Adaptability or versatility
If current robotic instruments are used, then mobility is improved, but dexterity and precision are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs dynamic control of the flexible catheter through real-time adjustment of internal pressure in different segments, allowing the instrument to adapt its shape and stiffness dynamically. This enables the catheter to navigate complex anatomical paths with high mobility while maintaining precise positioning and manipulation capability at the distal end through active stiffness control.
4Adaptability or versatility
If robotic systems are used, then degrees of freedom are increased, but device volume and operating space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves multiple degrees of freedom by utilizing the third dimension - the flexible catheter can bend and deform in multiple directions within the confined space of the abdominal cavity. This dimensional approach allows complex manipulation capabilities without requiring large lateral operating space, as the freedom of movement is achieved through flexible deformation rather than rigid arm movement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enhances surgical performance by offering improved maneuverability, reliability, and cost-effectiveness with tactile feedback, addressing the limitations of existing robotic systems.
Implementation Method 1
A mechanical manipulator for surgical instruments comprises a mechanism including a plurality of movable links and a plurality of actuated joints placed between the links... actuation forces are transmitted to the distal joints by means of a cable driven mechanical transmission
Implementation Method 2
The cable driven mechanical transmission comprises a plurality of pulleys placed on the movable links... actuating different degrees of freedom of the mechanism
Data Source
AI summary
A novel mechanical system, based on a new cable driven mechanical transmission, able to provide sufficient dexterity, stiffness, speed, precision and payload capacity to actuate multi-DOF micro-manipulators. Besides the possibility of being used in several articulated surgical instruments and robotic systems for surgery or other applications involving remote manipulation, it enables the design of a novel fully mechanical surgical instrument, which offer the advantages of: conventional laparoscopy (low cost, tactile feedback, high payload capacity) combined with the advantages of single port surgery (single incision, starless surgery, navigation through several quadrants of the abdominal cavity) and robotic surgery (greater degrees of freedom, short learning curve, high stiffness, high precision, increased intuition). The unique design of the proposed system provides an intuitive user interface to achieve such enhanced manoeuvrability, allowing each Joint of a teleoperated slave system to be driven by controlling the position of a mechanically connected master unit.