The Design and Development of Project OVERTIME: Open-source Versatile Experimental Robot for Tendon-driven Instrument Manipulation and Evaluation

Steerable medical instruments are used to reach difficult locations in the body during minimally invasive surgery (MIS). Researching these instruments helps to further improve their performance and reduce their size making them even less invasive. However, developing new technology can be expensive and often complete custom test rigs are build...

Pressure-activated, colour-changing and flexible material for aiding lymphedema patients in performing the MLD massage: An explorative design study

The MLD massage is a key component of a lymphedema patient’s treatment. Currently, research is ongoing manifesting a transition from system care to self-care by designing robotic sleeves that are able to perform an effective and safe MLD massage enabling the patient to gain a sense of empowerment and ownership over their treatment and time. This...

Design of the dullomatic: a mechanical follow-the-leader device

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has several advantages over conventional surgery, including reduced damage to the body, less pain, lower infection risk, and faster recovery. However, MIS reduces the amount of space in which clinicians can operate within the body. This often forces them to work around delicate anatomical structures. A new type...

A Variable Bending Stiffness Instrument: The AlKingScope: A Proof of Concept Prototype

When treating a Chronic Total Occlusion (CTO) via Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI), a guidewire first needs to be passed through or around the occlusion, a task requiring considerable skill and clinician experience. Proper backup support for the guidewire being used by the clinician is a prerequisite to prevent buckling or uncontrolled...

Alternating Follow-the-Leader Medical Device with Pneumatically Actuated Shape Locks

Developments in minimally invasive surgery such as natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery and single port laparoscopic surgery have pushed medical devices to be higher articulated and more dexterous. These surgery methods have proven to greatly decrease bleeding, scar tissue, hospital time, and cost. The procedures involve the...

MRI-Ready Actuation System for a Self-Propelling Needle: A Design and Experimental Approach

Standard treatment methods for prostate cancer often result in side-effects because of damage to the surrounding tissue. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guided focal laser ablation to treat prostate cancer reduces the risk of adverse effects by preserving noncancerous tissue. Prostate cancer diagnosis and focal laser ablation treatment both...

Design of a reversible growth-from-the-tip device following a complex trajectory: An innovative everting chains principle

Background: Accessing targets through complex trajectories with multiple curves in series, remains challenging today in many application fields, like surgery, the Fukushima disaster, maintenance of complex tube networks, mining and space operations. Current steerable devices require control of an extensive amount of segments, while moving as a...