Articulated Manipulator With Multiple Instruments for Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery

This paper presents an articulated manipulator with multiple instruments for natural orifice endoscopic transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES). This robotic system is made up of four major components, namely a multifunctional manipulator, a robot-connecting arm, an articulated drive mechanism, and a surgeon control console. The manipulator, capable of changing instruments in situ at the surgical site, was developed to reduce infection risk, improve surgical workflow, and encourage solo surgery by providing surgeons with all the required instruments. The robot-connecting arm serves as an experimental platform for future bimanual robot configurations. To facilitate stable positioning and optimal orientation of the robot, the articulated drive mechanism was also created. The surgeon control console provides a user-friendly platform to receive system input from surgeons. Benchtop testing showed adequate articulation and tool-tip forces for accomplishment of typical tasks in abdominal surgery. This system leverages the benefits both of cable-wire actuation systems and of direct motor embedding on different components to achieve better tool triangulation, higher instrument grasping force, and improved positioning at the surgical site.