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Published on: November 14, 2015
Design of a Rigid-Flex Coupling Flexible Manipulator for Endoscopic Sinus Surgery
Hongyu Cheng1, Zheng Liu1, Shuang Wang2
1Institute of Forming Technology & Equipment, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
Background:
Current instruments used in tight spaces face challenges. Additionally, accessing the endoscopic sinus pathway is complex due to its curved and narrow nature, requiring intricate manual manoeuvres. Therefore, there is a demand for the development of a flexible instrument.
Methods:
In this study, a rigid-flex coupling flexible manipulator was designed specifically for endoscopic sinus surgery. The investigation includes various theoretical analyses such as clinical requirements, stiffness, kinematics, statics and master-slave control strategy.
Results:
The manipulator is fabricated and its properties is evaluated. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed theoretical model accurately describes the motion of the manipulator. Furthermore, the feasibility of the manipulator was verified using both 3D-printed sinus models and human head models.
Conclusions:
Based on our findings, the proposed flexible manipulator successfully meets the basic requirements of endoscopic sinus surgery.
