Proceedings ArticleDOI
STIFF-FLOP surgical manipulator: Mechanical design and experimental characterization of the single module
Matteo Cianchetti,Tommaso Ranzani,Giada Gerboni,Iris De Falco,Cecilia Laschi,Arianna Menciassi +5 more
- pp 3576-3581
TLDR
The main idea is to combine flexible fluidic actuators enabling omnidirectional bending and elongation capability and the granular jamming phenomenon to implement a selective stiffness changing.Abstract:
This paper presents the concept design, the fabrication and the experimental characterization of a unit of a modular manipulator for minimal access surgery. Traditional surgical manipulators are usually based on metallic steerable needles, tendon driven mechanisms or articulated motorized links. In this work the main idea is to combine flexible fluidic actuators enabling omnidirectional bending and elongation capability and the granular jamming phenomenon to implement a selective stiffness changing. The proposed manipulator is based on a series of identical modules, each one consisting of a silicone tube with pneumatic chambers for allowing 3D motion and one central channel for the implementation of the granular jamming phenomenon for stiffening. The silicone is covered by a novel bellows-shaped braided structure maximizing the bending still limiting lateral expansion. In this paper one single module is tested in terms of bending range, elongation capability, generated forces and stiffness changing.read more
Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
I and i
TL;DR: There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one, which seems an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.
Journal ArticleDOI
Design, fabrication and control of soft robots
Daniela Rus,Michael T. Tolley +1 more
TL;DR: This Review discusses recent developments in the emerging field of soft robotics, and explores the design and control of soft-bodied robots composed of compliant materials.
Journal ArticleDOI
Stiffening in Soft Robotics: A Review of the State of the Art
TL;DR: The core challenge of soft robotics research is, in fact, the variability and controllability of such deformability and compliance.
Journal ArticleDOI
Soft manipulators and grippers: A review
TL;DR: The achievements and shortcomings of recent technology in these key areas are evaluated, and this paper concludes with a discussion on the potential impacts of soft manipulators on industry and society.
Journal ArticleDOI
Soft Robotics Technologies to Address Shortcomings in Today's Minimally Invasive Surgery: The STIFF-FLOP Approach
CianchettiMatteo,RanzaniTommaso,GerboniGiada,NanayakkaraThrishantha,AlthoeferKaspar,DasguptaProkar,MenciassiArianna +6 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors proposed a new concept of soft and stiffness-controllable instruments for single-site or natural orifice transluminal surgery using the octopus as a model.
References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
I and i
TL;DR: There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one, which seems an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.
Journal ArticleDOI
Design and Kinematic Modeling of Constant Curvature Continuum Robots: A Review
Robert J. Webster,Bryan A. Jones +1 more
TL;DR: This discussion elucidates what has been articulated in different ways by a number of researchers in the past several years, namely that constant-curvature kinematics can be considered as consisting of two separate submappings: one that is general and applies to all continuum robots, and another that is robot-specific.
Journal ArticleDOI
Soft Robot Arm Inspired by the Octopus
Cecilia Laschi,Matteo Cianchetti,Barbara Mazzolai,Laura Margheri,Maurizio Follador,Paolo Dario +5 more
TL;DR: The prototype of a robot arm has been built based on an artificial muscular hydroStat inspired to the muscular hydrostat of the Octopus vulgaris, which emerges as a good model for embodied intelligence and for soft robotics.
Journal ArticleDOI
Robotic Tentacles with Three‐Dimensional Mobility Based on Flexible Elastomers
Ramses V. Martinez,Jamie L. Branch,Carina R. Fish,Lihua Jin,Robert F. Shepherd,Rui M. D. Nunes,Zhigang Suo,George M. Whitesides,George M. Whitesides +8 more
TL;DR: Embedding functional components into soft robotic tentacles that move in three dimensions upon pressurization (for example, a needle for delivering fluid, a video camera, and a suction cup) extends their capabilities.