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Positioning and stiffening of an articulated/continuum manipulator for implant delivery in minimally invasive surgery
Author(s) -
Tamadon Izadyar,
Huan Yu,
Groot Antonius G.,
Menciassi Arianna,
Sinibaldi Edoardo
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the international journal of medical robotics and computer assisted surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.556
H-Index - 53
eISSN - 1478-596X
pISSN - 1478-5951
DOI - 10.1002/rcs.2072
Subject(s) - stiffening , workspace , stiffness , invasive surgery , bending stiffness , computer science , bending , tension (geology) , materials science , implant , biomedical engineering , surgery , robot , engineering , medicine , artificial intelligence , composite material , compression (physics)
Background Hollow, bendable manipulators can advance implant delivery in minimally invasive surgery, by circumventing the drawbacks of straight‐line delivery and fostering single‐port approaches. Variable stiffness manipulators are sought to be safe and effective. Methods We designed and experimentally assessed a cable‐driven articulated/continuum manipulator, devised for cardiac valve delivery. Positioning and stiffening were teleoperated, based on cable shortening. Stiffening was parameterized by using the leading tension (LT, ie, tension of the cables driving bending). We assessed positioning (repeatability/reversibility along eight/two bending directions) and stiffening (eight bent configurations). Results We achieved good repeatability and reversibility (mean errors <1% and 1.5%, respectively, of the workspace characteristic length). Stiffening was effective (up to 9‐fold increase, depending on pose). Stiffening was linearly correlated ( R 2 = 0.92) with LT for all the considered configurations. Conclusion We accurately positioned and effectively stiffened the manipulator in several bent configurations. The proposed stiffness modulation strategy can be extended to other manipulators.