Soft Robotic Manipulator for Improving Dexterity in Minimally Invasive Surgery

Area of Science:

• Surgical Robotics
• Soft Robotics
• Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS)

Background:

• Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) offers patient benefits but limits surgeon dexterity and maneuverability.
• Soft robotics presents a solution to overcome limitations in MIS instrumentation.
• Soft robotic devices excel in applications requiring dexterity and safe interaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the synergistic integration of soft robotics with traditional rigid surgical tools.
• To enhance the capabilities of surgical robotic systems using soft materials.
• To evaluate the impact on the usability of robotic platforms.

Main Methods:

• Integration of a bioinspired soft manipulator with a miniaturized camera into the da Vinci Research Kit.
• Hardware and software integration of the soft manipulator with the Endoscopic Camera Manipulator arm.
• Usability evaluation with nonexpert users using a standard protocol.

Main Results:

• Successful integration of a soft endoscopic camera into a surgical robot.
• The soft endoscopic camera is operable via the da Vinci Research Kit master console.
• Demonstrated increase in workspace and dexterity for the surgical robot.

Conclusions:

• This marks the first endoscopic tool based on soft materials integrated into a surgical robot.
• The soft endoscopic camera enhances surgeon capabilities without limiting intuitive use.
• The integration improves robotic system performance and surgeon dexterity in MIS.