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Updated: Jul 5, 2025
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Design and Fabrication of an Elastomeric Unit for Soft Modular Robots in Minimally Invasive Surgery
Published on: November 14, 2015
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Fiberbots: Robotic fibers for high-precision minimally invasive surgery
Mohamed E M K Abdelaziz1,2, Jinshi Zhao1,3, Bruno Gil Rosa1,2
1The Hamlyn Centre for Robotic Surgery, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
Science Advances
|January 19, 2024
Summary
Researchers created a tiny, flexible robotic fiber for precise surgical instrument control. This polymer-based probe uses thermal actuation for accurate movements, enhancing minimally invasive procedures and tissue mapping.
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Biomedical Engineering
- Materials Science
Background:
- Minimally invasive surgery demands precise control of flexible surgical tools.
- Existing robotic probes often lack the necessary dexterity and miniaturization.
- Accurate instrument guidance is critical for effective surgical interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a miniature, flexible robotic fiber for precise surgical instrument manipulation.
- To investigate its thermal actuation mechanism and fabrication scalability.
- To evaluate its performance in in vivo surgical models.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a polymer-based robotic fiber using scalable fiber drawing technology.
- Implementation of a thermal actuation mechanism for localized fiber bending.
- Development of control algorithms for endoscopic instrument coupling.
- In vivo testing on a porcine model for laparoscopic surgery assessment.
Main Results:
- The robotic fiber, under 2mm in diameter, demonstrated high motion precision (<50 micrometers) and repeatability.
- Successful integration with endoscopic instruments for in situ tissue mapping.
- Practicality and safety confirmed during in vivo laparoscopic surgery.
- Enabled cellular-level intraoperative tissue identification and ablation.
Conclusions:
- The developed polymer robotic fiber offers a low-profile, high-precision solution for minimally invasive surgery.
- Its thermal actuation and scalable fabrication support widespread clinical adoption.
- This technology can enhance intraoperative tissue identification and ablation, improving cancer removal in difficult surgical sites.
