Colonoscopy is the gold standard for colorectal cancer diagnosis; however, limited instrument dexterity and no sensor feedback can hamper procedure safety and acceptance. We propose a soft robotic sleeve to provide sensor feedback and additional actuation capabilities to improve safety during navigation in colonoscopy. The robot can be mounted around current endoscopic instrumentation as a disposable “add-on,” avoiding the need for dedicated or customized instruments and without disrupting current surgical workflow. We focus on design, finite element analysis, fabrication, and experimental characterization and validation of the soft robotic sleeve. The device integrates soft optical sensors to monitor contact interaction forces between the colon and the colonoscope and soft robotic actuators that can be automatically deployed if excessive force is detected, to guarantee pressure redistribution on a larger contact area of the colon. The system can be operated by a surgeon via a graphic user interface that displays contact force values and enables independent or coordinated pressurization of the soft actuators upon demand, in case deemed necessary to aid navigation or distend colon tissue.

中文翻译：

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用于更安全结肠镜检查程序的软机器人套管

结肠镜检查是诊断结直肠癌的金标准；然而，有限的仪器灵活性和没有传感器反馈可能会妨碍程序的安全性和可接受性。我们提出了一种软机器人套筒，以提供传感器反馈和额外的驱动功能，以提高结肠镜检查导航过程中的安全性。该机器人可以作为一次性“附件”安装在当前的内窥镜器械周围，从而避免了对专用或定制器械的需求，并且不会中断当前的手术工作流程。我们专注于软机器人套筒的设计、有限元分析、制造以及实验表征和验证。该设备集成了软光学传感器来监测结肠和结肠镜之间的接触相互作用力，以及软机器人执行器，如果检测到过大的力，软机器人执行器可以自动部署，以保证压力重新分布在结肠的更大接触区域。该系统可由外科医生通过图形用户界面进行操作，该界面显示接触力值，并在认为有必要帮助导航或扩张结肠组织的情况下，根据需要对软致动器进行独立或协调加压。