Soft Robotic Retractors for Minimally Invasive Surgery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional robotic retractors are inflexible and can cause damage to tissues and surrounding structures during medical procedures due to their rigid nature, and they lack the ability to adapt to varying object sizes and shapes, making them unsuitable for complex and minimally invasive surgeries.
Innovation Solution
The development of soft robotic actuators made from elastomeric materials that can conform to irregular spaces, deliver varying amounts of force, and be made from medically safe materials, allowing for adaptability and reduced risk of damage, with applications in incision and body tissue retractors that can be reused or disposed of as needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If traditional rigid retractors are used, then structural strength is maintained, but tissue damage occurs and adaptability to varying shapes is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible elastomeric materials with varying degrees of stiffness to create retractor blades that can conform to tissue shapes while maintaining sufficient structural strength. The flexible yet load-bearing elastomeric properties allow the retractor to adapt to irregular anatomical structures without causing damage, resolving the contradiction between rigidity and tissue safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes materials with tunable elastomeric properties where the stiffness and flexibility parameters can be adjusted during manufacturing. By changing the elastomeric material parameters (cross-linking density, composition ratios), the retractor achieves optimal balance between structural strength and tissue compatibility for different surgical applications.
2Ease of manufacture
If rigid retractors are used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but adaptability to varying object sizes and shapes is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The elastomeric retractor blades are manufactured as flexible components that can be molded into various shapes while maintaining manufacturing efficiency. The flexible nature of elastomeric materials allows for cost-effective molding processes that produce adaptability to different anatomical structures without significantly increasing manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite elastomeric formulations combining different polymers and additives to achieve specific mechanical properties. These composite materials maintain ease of manufacturing through standard elastomeric processing while providing the versatility needed to adapt to varying tissue sizes and shapes through material property tuning.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If soft elastomeric materials are used, then adaptability and reduced tissue damage are achieved, but force delivery capability may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes elastomeric materials with tunable mechanical parameters including stress-strain characteristics and durometer hardness. By adjusting these parameters, the retractor delivers sufficient holding force to maintain tissue retraction while remaining soft enough to prevent damage, resolving the contradiction between force capability and tissue safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible elastomeric blades are designed with optimized thickness and cross-sectional geometry that enhance force delivery capability while maintaining tissue-compatible softness. The flexible structure distributes applied forces over larger contact areas, preventing localized damage while maintaining adequate retraction force.
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
Soft robotic retractors provide safe, reliable, and adaptable solutions for medical procedures, minimizing tissue damage and enabling precise manipulation of tissues and organs, suitable for a range of surgical techniques, including laparoscopic surgeries, by conforming to irregular shapes and delivering controlled forces.
Implementation Method 1
Soft robotic actuators made from elastomeric materials that can conform to irregular spaces
Implementation Method 2
delivering controlled forces
Data Source
AI summary
Exemplary embodiments describe soft robotic actuators for medical use, such as during surgeries and other medical procedures. According to one embodiment, a soft robotic incision retractor is provided. According to another embodiment, a soft robotic body tissue retractor is provided. The incision retractor and body tissue retractor may be used together, for example by using the incision retractor to hold open an incision while the body tissue retractor manipulates biological matter or an object accessible through the incision. Described embodiments offer the ability to conform to a given space, reduced risk of damage to surrounding structures as compared to traditional retractors, the ability to deliver varying amounts of force, the ability to be made from medically safe materials, and the potential for re-use or disposability.