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Updated: Apr 27, 2026
Design and Fabrication of an Elastomeric Unit for Soft Modular Robots in Minimally Invasive Surgery
Published on: November 14, 2015
Development of a robotic system with six-degrees-of-freedom robotic tool manipulators for single-port surgery
Yo Kobayashi1, Yuta Sekiguchi1, Takehiko Noguchi1
1Faculty of Science and Engineering, Research Institute of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Japan.
Background:
Current robotic systems have limitations for single-port surgery (SPS) because the instruments are large, the arms collide and the field of vision requires manual readjustment. We have developed an SPS robotic system that manipulates the vision field.
Methods:
The master-slave system included a six degrees of freedom (DOFs) tool manipulator, an easy set-up mechanism, a flexible shaft drive with sufficient DOFs and a vertical arrangement for improved vision. The robot manipulates an endoscope within the body. After assembly, the system was tested in vitro and in vivo.
Results:
In vitro testing showed that the tool manipulators resected tissue precisely, with the range of motion required. In vivo testing indicated that an abdominal organ is accurately approached and diseased tissue removed by combined endoscopy and robotics.
Conclusions:
Our robotics allowed the operator to adjust the vision field intuitively. The tool manipulator approached and resected diseased tissue precisely.
