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A Soft Robotic Balloon Endoscope for Airway Procedures.

Yingtian Li^1,2, Joseph Peine¹, Margherita Mencattelli¹

¹Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

|November 23, 2021

Summary

This study introduces a novel soft robot for airway balloon dilation procedures. The robot, controlled via a game controller, uses balloon technology for safe and effective interventions.

Keywords:

airway management balloon dilation endoluminal procedures medical robots robotic endoscope

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Area of Science:

Biomedical Engineering
Robotics
Medical Devices

Background:

Soft robots offer advantages in medical interventions due to low cost and safe force application.
Endoscopic procedures in airways require precise navigation and manipulation.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the potential of soft robots for endoscopically-guided balloon dilation in airways.
To propose and optimize a scalable soft robot design for tracheal and bronchial procedures.

Main Methods:

A novel soft robot design utilizing balloon catheter technology with a tip-mounted camera and LED was developed.
Design parameters were optimized for clinical requirements of airway balloon dilation.
The robot features proximal and distal bracing balloons for traction and dilation, and actuation balloons for locomotion and bending.
Helical coils were incorporated into actuation balloons to prevent radial collapse, with design formulas derived.

Main Results:

A prototype soft robot was successfully teleoperated through airways using a game controller and real-time video feedback.
The robot demonstrated locomotion, bending, and traction capabilities.
Experimental evaluation in rigid tubes and ex vivo porcine airways validated the approach's potential.

Conclusions:

The proposed soft robot design shows promise for endoscopically-guided balloon dilation in the airways.
This technology offers a scalable, cost-effective, and safe solution for airway interventions.