An In Vivo Mobile Robot for Surgical Vision and Task Assistance

Abstract

Current laparoscopic surgical robots are expensive, bulky, and fundamentally constrained by the small entry incisions. A potential new approach to minimally invasive surgery is to place the robot completely within the patient. We have developed several such miniature mobile robots and conducted tests during animal surgeries. These robots can provide vision and task assistance to the surgeon without being constrained by the entry port. We used a mobile biopsy and camera robot to sample hepatic tissue from an anesthetized porcine animal model. This successful test demonstrated the capability of performing a single port laparoscopic biopsy procedure. In the future, a family of such robots could be remotely controlled and used to perform surgical procedures without the need for conventional laparoscopic tools.

Miniature in vivo Robots for Remote and Harsh Environments

“…4(b) has been used to provide exclusive visual feedback to a surgeon during a porcine cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal) [1]. A mobile camera and biopsy robot were also developed and used successfully to biopsy portions of hepatic (liver) tissue during an animal surgery [2]. Such robots have also recently been used to demonstrate the feasibility of performing natural orifice transgastric endoscopic surgery (NOTES), wherein a robot is introduced to the abdominal cavity through an incision in the gastric cavity instead of the traditional approach of keyhole surgery with trocars placed in the abdominal wall [35].…”

“…These in vivo robots currently lack some of the precise control provided by systems such as the da Vinci. However, they have been shown to be useful in providing vision and task assistance [1], [2]. In addition, in vivo robots are small, inexpensive, and easily transported, making it more likely that this technology can be more widely adopted.…”

Disposable Fluidic Actuators for Miniature In-Vivo Surgical Robotics

“…Surgical robotics is advancing from externally actuated systems such as the da Vinci V R Surgical System [1] to miniature in-vivo robotics where the entire robot is inserted into the patient's body [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. However, with miniaturization of surgical robots, there comes a trade-off between the size of the robot and its capability [15].…”

“…However, with miniaturization of surgical robots, there comes a trade-off between the size of the robot and its capability [15]. Miniature electric motors have been used in many in-vivo robots [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] as the primary means of actuation. Slow actuation, low load capacity, sterilization difficulty, leaking electricity and transferring produced heat to tissues, and high cost are among the key limitations of the use of electric motors in in-vivo applications [15][16][17].…”

“…Rentschler et al [6] developed a series of miniature in-vivo robots assisting surgeons by providing visual feedback. A family of wheel-driven modular wireless robots capable of exploring the abdominal cavity and performing some surgical-assist tasks was also developed and tested in porcine models [7].…”