Bionic Design of a Disposable Compliant Surgical Forceps With Optimized Clamping Performance

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Surgical Devices

Background:

• Reusable surgical forceps pose infection risks due to sterilization challenges.
• Plastic compliant forceps offer easier sterilization but often lack robust clamping performance.
• Existing disposable forceps have limitations in clamping capability for medical applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop novel 3D-printed plastic compliant forceps with optimized clamping performance.
• To enhance the utility of disposable forceps in open surgery and physical nursing.
• To explore bio-inspired design for improved surgical device functionality.

Main Methods:

• Utilized bio-inspired topology optimization techniques for forceps synthesis.
• Employed finite element analysis to evaluate clamping capability.
• Conducted loading tests to assess performance.

Main Results:

• The novel 3D-printed forceps demonstrated superior and more stable clamping forces compared to previous models.
• Optimized design significantly improved clamping performance of plastic compliant forceps.
• Bio-inspired optimization proved effective for synthesizing high-performance compliant devices.

Conclusions:

• The developed 3D-printed compliant forceps offer enhanced clamping performance for disposable surgical applications.
• Bio-inspired topology optimization is a viable method for creating robust compliant surgical instruments.
• This approach holds potential for advancing devices used in robotic surgery.