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Published on: November 14, 2015
Soft Everting Robots for Medical Applications: A Review
IEEE Transactions on Bio-Medical Engineering
|July 1, 2026
Summary
Soft Everting Robots (SER) offer compliant, adaptive locomotion for medical procedures. This review consolidates research on their applications, challenges like safety and miniaturization, and future clinical potential.
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Medical Technology
- Biomedical Engineering
Background:
- Soft Everting Robots (SER) utilize body eversion for compliant and adaptive locomotion.
- Their unique properties are highly suitable for minimally invasive endoluminal medical procedures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a structured literature review of Soft Everting Robots in medical applications.
- To categorize existing research by application, design, and challenges.
- To provide an overview of the state-of-the-art and future directions for SER in medicine.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature review adhering to the PRISMA methodology.
- Identification and analysis of 50 publications focused on SER in medical contexts.
- Categorization of findings based on application, technical design, and challenges.
Main Results:
- Key challenges identified include safe tissue interaction, leakage prevention, miniaturization, sterility, and navigation in complex anatomy.
- SER were compared with related robotic technologies to clarify distinctions.
- The commercialization landscape for SER was briefly examined.
Conclusions:
- SER present significant potential for advanced medical interventions like colonoscopy and vascular navigation.
- Addressing challenges in safety, miniaturization, and control is crucial for clinical translation.
- This review offers guidelines for SER design, control, and future implementation in healthcare.
