Design Methodology for a 3D Printable Multi‐Degree of Freedom Soft Actuator Using Geometric Origami Patterns

Soft pneumatic actuators (SPAs) have applications in various domains due to their compliance, low cost, and lightweight characteristics. Herein, a geometric origami design for 3‐degree of freedom (DoF) SPAs is presented, which enables manufacturing using 3D printing at one go without any support structure. The proposed method uses a general design parameterization that works for multiple types of cylindrical origami patterns (Kresling, cylindrical Miura, Yoshimura, and Accordion). It is shown that a 3‐DoF pneumatic actuator capable of bending and extension can be constructed by superimposing two cylindrical origami patterns to create a separation of chambers inside of the module. In addition, the design parameters are chosen to reduce the strain during deformation and maximize the output forces of the origami actuator. The actuator is manufactured, and its motion and force profiles are experimentally characterized. The designed origami actuator can bend from −12.2°±0.2° to 94.7°±0.9° and the length during operation can vary between 50% and 126% of the initial length

Design and Characterization of a Multiple Needle Insertion MRI-guided Robot for Irreversible Electroporation (IRE) Treatment

Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a promising tumor treatment that uses an electric field to kill tumor cells. During treatment, 2–6 needles are inserted around the tumor, preferably placed in parallel and located at the same depth. This allows the electric field to be effectively distributed across the cell to destroy tumors. In this paper, we present a body-mounted, four degrees of freedom robot (140 mm × 147 mm × 113 mm), that assists multiple needle placement under Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) guidance. The robot and the actuator can be classified as an MR safe system, where the material composition consists of non-metallic, non-magnetic, and non-conductive material to allow safe operation inside the MRI scanner. The accuracy of the robot was evaluated, and the maximum translation error was 0.72 ± 0.26 mm on the horizontal axis and 1.60 ± 0.75 mm on the vertical axis. The compatibility of the robot with MRI was evaluated and no artifacts or changes to the signal-to-noise ratio were observed in the MRI images. The proposed robot was able to cover the target tumor area and supports the placement of multiple needles for IRE treatment

Experimental Evaluation Using Head Motion and Augmented Reality to Intuitively Control a Flexible Endoscope

Thoracoscopic procedures require an assistant to hold and control the camera while the surgeon performs the surgical task. This paper presents an approach in which surgeons can control camera orientation using their head movements, allowing them to steer a flexible endoscope without the need for a camera assistant during the operation. Additionally, an augmented reality headset has been integrated into the head movement control system to serve as a virtual display monitor capable of following the user's gaze. Experiments were conducted to assess the feasibility of the head-controlled approach compared to the manual control method by conducting camerapointing experiments performed by clinicians and trained nonclinician participants at two difficulty levels. The results from the camera-pointing experiments have shown that the developed head-controlled endoscope has a statistically faster reaching time performance compared to manual use of the flexible endoscope in high difficulty index tasks with clinician participants (p=0.04), and in both lower and high difficulty index tasks with non-clinician participants (p=0.03). The head-controlled robotic endoscope approach enables surgeons to intuitively control the camera during an operation, while simultaneously performing other tasks using their hands, without sacrificing camera steering accuracy