Steerable Catheter Robotic System for Endoscope Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical robots have a large footprint, making them unsuitable for minimally invasive procedures in tight spaces, and lack the dexterity to access difficult anatomical regions without requiring significant resources and specialized facilities.
Innovation Solution
A steerable catheter robotic system with a flexible outer sheath and multi-lumen assembly, allowing for instruments with multiple degrees of freedom, including articulating segments and motor control, to navigate and perform procedures in tight spaces, compatible with various endoscopes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional rigid surgical robots are used, then surgical precision and control are improved, but the device footprint becomes too large for minimally invasive procedures in tight spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The surgical robot is divided into multiple modular components: a flexible catheter with segmented articulation sections, a separate control system, and interchangeable surgical instruments. This segmentation allows the main robotic structure to be collapsed into a compact form that can pass through small incisions while maintaining precise control capabilities through the distributed modular components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from rigid three-dimensional robotic arms to a flexible one-dimensional catheter that can bend and articulate in multiple directions along its length. This dimensional transformation allows the robot to navigate through narrow body passages and achieve complex positioning in tight surgical spaces without requiring a large external footprint.
2Area of stationary object
If flexible catheter systems are used to reduce footprint, then access to tight spaces is improved, but dexterity and control capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The catheter incorporates dynamic articulation sections with adjustable stiffness and multiple degrees of freedom that can be actively controlled during surgery. These sections can transition between flexible and rigid states, allowing the operator to navigate tight spaces with flexibility while maintaining precise control and dexterity when performing surgical tasks at the target location.
Solution Approach 2:
The catheter utilizes flexible shell structures with embedded control elements that maintain structural integrity while allowing controlled deformation. These flexible shells incorporate shape memory materials or active actuators that enable the catheter to achieve and maintain complex three-dimensional configurations, providing both the flexibility needed for navigation and the rigidity required for precise surgical manipulation.
3Ease of operation
If complex robotic systems are deployed to achieve dexterity in tight spaces, then surgical capability is improved, but cost and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system employs universal modular components that can perform multiple surgical functions: the same catheter platform can accommodate various surgical instruments (graspers, cutters, injectors), and the control system can manage different procedural tasks. This multi-functionality reduces the need for multiple specialized robotic systems, thereby lowering overall cost and resource requirements while maintaining comprehensive surgical capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates self-aligning and self-adjusting features that reduce the need for complex external positioning equipment and specialized operational facilities. The catheter automatically navigates to target locations using integrated sensors and feedback mechanisms, and the control system adapts to different surgical scenarios without requiring extensive reconfiguration, thereby simplifying resource requirements while preserving advanced surgical capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical arrangement includes an endoscope having an insertion tube with an imaging system disposed on its distal end and at least one instrument channel extending therethrough. A catheter subsystem of a steerable catheter robotic system is removably insertable into the instrument channel. The catheter subsystem includes a flexible outer sheath having a proximal end and a distal end. At least one flexible multi-lumen assembly extends through the outer sheath. The multi-lumen assembly has a proximal end and a distal end. A robotic instrument for performing a surgical procedure is operatively and removably attachable to the distal end of the multi-lumen assembly such that the robotic instrument is teleoperable