Design and Experimental Validation of a Gynecological Continuum Robot
摘要
In this article, we present a novel design of rod-driven continuum robot for gynecological intervention. Our goal is to reduce invasiveness and create a more flexible device compared to existing surgical instruments, which are built for laparoscopic surgery and require incisions. The proposed device would instead use the natural channel, accessing the uterus through the vagina and cervix. This path is precluded to most rigid gynecological tools that results in painful intervention for the patient, whereas the compliant body of continuum robots allows a minimally invasive access with miniaturized tools at its tip. After manufacturing a laboratory prototype of the proposed design, we tested its manipulability and efficiency on a pepper, which imitates human body properties and variability in a size similar to the one of the uterus.