A review of continuum robots for surgical applications

Research Article
Open access

A review of continuum robots for surgical applications

Kexin Li 1* , Ziyang Qi 2 , Xueyan Feng 3
  • 1 Shandong University    
  • 2 Zhenhai High School    
  • 3 Tianjin No.55 Middle School    
  • *corresponding author 202000800014@mail.sdu.edu.cn
Published on 14 June 2023 | https://doi.org/10.54254/2755-2721/6/20230823
ACE Vol.6
ISSN (Print): 2755-273X
ISSN (Online): 2755-2721
ISBN (Print): 978-1-915371-59-1
ISBN (Online): 978-1-915371-60-7

Abstract

The design of continuum robots is inspired by biological trunks, tentacles, and snakes, allowing them to navigate through some confined spaces, manipulate objects in the unstructured environments, and follow curvilinear paths. In recent decades, a wide range of designs of continuum robots have been explored and have illustrated capabilities that go beyond rigid-link robots. We have witnessed increasing efforts to use these characteristics to improve minimally invasive surgical interventions in recent years. In this paper, we summarize the key technologies and several applications of continuum robots in the surgical field. We also define the key performance index to evaluate the performance of continuum robots in the surgical field. By discussing challenges to be overcome before the potential of continuum robots as surgical devices can be fulfilled, we propose some future directions for the continuum robobts.

Keywords:

continuum robots, hyper-redundant robot, robot-assisted surgery, soft robot, surgical robot

Li,K.;Qi,Z.;Feng,X. (2023). A review of continuum robots for surgical applications. Applied and Computational Engineering,6,1652-1660.
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References

[1]. Y. Zhong, L. Hu, and Y. Xu, “Recent advances in design and actuation of continuum robots for medical applications,” MDPI, 19-Dec-2020.

[2]. J. Burgner-Kahrs, D. Rucker and H. Choset, "Continuum Robots for Medical Applications: A Survey", IEEE Transactions on Robotics, vol. 31, no. 6, pp. 1261-1280, 2015.

[3]. M. Frecker and A. J. Snyder, “Surgical robotics: Multifunctional end effectors for robotic surgery,” PennState, Dec-2005.

[4]. G. Zhang, F. Du, S. Xue, H. Cheng, X. Zhang, R. Song, and Y. Li, “Design and modeling of a bio-inspired compound continuum robot for minimally invasive surgery,” MDPI, 11-Jun-2022.

[5]. K. Xu and N. Simaan, “Intrinsic wrench estimation and its performance index for Multisegment Continuum Robots,” IEEE Xplore, Jun-2010.

[6]. H.; Renda, F.; Stefanini, C. Concentric Tube Robots for Minimally Invasive Surgery: Current Applications and Future Opportunities. IEEE Trans. Med Robot. Bionics 2020, 2, 410–424.

[7]. F. Qi, F. Ju, D. Bai, Y. Wang, and B. Chen, “Kinematic analysis and navigation method of a cable-driven continuum robot used for minimally invasive surgery,” The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery, vol. 15, no. 4, article e2007, 2019.

[8]. R. Kang, Y. Guo, L. Chen, D. T. Branson, and J. S. Dai, “Design of a pneumatic muscle based continuum robot with embedded tendons,” IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 751–761, 2017.

[9]. J. D. Greer, T. K. Morimoto, A. M. Okamura, and E. W. Hawkes, “Series pneumatic artificial muscles (spams) and application to a soft continuum robot,” in 2017 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), pp. 5503–5510, Singapore, 2017.

[10]. C. Sun, L. Chen, J. Liu, J. S. Dai, and R. Kang, “A hybrid continuum robot based on pneumatic muscles with embedded elastic rods,” Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science, vol. 234, no. 1, pp. 318–328, 2020.

[11]. T. Greigarn, N. L. Poirot, X. Xu, and C. Cavusoglu, “Jacobianbased task-space motion planning for MRI-actuated continuum robots,” IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 145–152, 2019.

[12]. D. Alatorre, D. Axinte, and A. Rabani, “Continuum robot proprioception: the ionic liquid approach,” IEEE Transac tions on Robotics, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 526–5, 2022.

[13]. J. Liu, J. Wei, G. Zhang, S. Wang, and S. Zuo, “Pneumatic soft arm based on spiral balloon weaving and shape memory polymer backbone,” Journal of Mechanical Design, vol. 141, no. 8, 2019.

[14]. R. Kang, D. T. Branson, T. Zheng, E. Guglielmino, and D. G. Caldwell, “Design, modeling and control of a pneumatically actuated manipulator inspired by biological continuum structures,” Bioinspiration & biomimetics, vol. 8, no. 3, article 036008, 2013.

[15]. M. C. Yip, J. A. Sganga, and D. B. Camarillo, “Autonomous control of continuum robot manipulators for complex car diac ablation tasks,” Journal of Medical Robotics Research, vol. 2, no. 1, article 1750002, 2017.

[16]. M. Li, R. Kang, S. Geng, and E. Guglielmino, “Design and control of a tendon-driven continuum robot,” Transactions of the Institute of Measurement and Control, vol. 40, no. 11, pp. 3263–3272, 2018.

[17]. F. Campisano, S. Caló, A. A. Remirez et al.,“Closed-loop control of soft continuum manipulators under tip follower actu ation,” The International Journal of Robotics Research, vol. 40, no. 6-7, pp. 923–938, 2021.

[18]. Wang, J.; Lau, H.Y.K. Dexterity Analysis based on Jacobian and Performance Optimization for Multi-segment Continuum Robots. J. Mech. Robot. 2021, 13, 061012.

[19]. Biyun, X.; Jing, Z. Advances in Robotic Kinematic Dexterity and Indices. Mech. Sci. Technol. 2011, 30, 1386–1393.

[20]. Wu, L.; Crawford, R.; Roberts, J. Dexterity Analysis of Three 6-DOF Continuum Robots Combining Concentric Tube Mechanisms and Cable-Driven Mechanisms. IEEE Robot. Autom. Lett. 2016, 2, 514–521.

[21]. ISO 9283:1998, “Manipulating industrial robots– performance criteria and related test methods.” International Organization for Standardization, Standard ISO 9283:1998, 1998.

[22]. Gallardo, O. et al. (2022) Turning an articulated 3-PPSR manipulator into a parallel continuum robot, IEEE Xplore.

[23]. P. Swaney et al., "Toward Transoral Peripheral Lung Access: Combining Continuum Robots and Steerable Needles", Journal of Medical Robotics Research, vol. 02, no. 01, p. 1750001, 2017.

[24]. A. Agrawal, D. Hogarth and S. Murgu, "Robotic bronchoscopy for pulmonary lesions: a review of existing technologies and clinical data", Journal of Thoracic Disease, vol. 12, no. 6, pp. 3279-3286, 2020.

[25]. Z. Mitros, B. Thamo, C. Bergeles, L. da Cruz, K. Dhaliwal and M. Khadem, "Design and Modelling of a Continuum Robot for Distal Lung Sampling in Mechanically Ventilated Patients in Critical Care", Frontiers in Robotics and AI, vol. 8, 2021.

[26]. C. Heunis, J. Sikorski and S. Misra, "Flexible Instruments for Endovascular Interventions: Improved Magnetic Steering, Actuation, and Image-Guided Surgical Instruments", IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 71-82, 2018.

[27]. V. Mendes Pereira et al., "First-in-human, robotic-assisted neuroendovascular intervention", Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 338-340, 2020.

[28]. L. Wang, C. Guo and X. Zhao, "Magnetic soft continuum robots with contact forces", Extreme Mechanics Letters, vol. 51, p. 101604, 2022.

[29]. S. Coemert, R. Roth, G. Strauss, P. Schmitz and T. Lueth, "A handheld flexible manipulator system for frontal sinus surgery", International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery, vol. 15, no. 9, pp. 1549-1559, 2020.

[30]. H. Yoon, J. Jeong and B. Yi, "Image-Guided Dual Master–Slave Robotic System for Maxillary Sinus Surgery", IEEE Transactions on Robotics, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 1098-1111, 2018.

[31]. W. Hong, F. Feng, L. Xie and G. Yang, "A Two-Segment Continuum Robot With Piecewise Stiffness for Maxillary Sinus Surgery and Its Decoupling Method", IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, pp. 1-11, 2022.

[32]. D. Rus and M. Tolley, "Design, fabrication and control of soft robots", Nature, vol. 521, no. 7553, pp. 467-475, 2015.

[33]. T. da Veiga et al., "Challenges of continuum robots in clinical context: a review", Progress in Biomedical Engineering, vol. 2, no. 3, p. 032003, 2020.

[34]. J. Till, V. Aloi and C. Rucker, "Real-time dynamics of soft and continuum robots based on Cosserat rod models", The International Journal of Robotics Research, vol. 38, no. 6, pp. 723-746, 2019.

[35]. T. da Veiga et al., "Challenges of continuum robots in clinical context: a review", Progress in Biomedical Engineering, vol. 2, no. 3, p. 032003, 2020.

[36]. A. Franz, T. Haidegger, W. Birkfellner, K. Cleary, T. Peters and L. Maier-Hein, "Electromagnetic Tracking in Medicine—A Review of Technology, Validation, and Applications", IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, vol. 33, no. 8, pp. 1702-1725, 2014.

[37]. P. Dupont, N. Simaan, H. Choset and C. Rucker, "Continuum Robots for Medical Interventions", Proceedings of the IEEE, vol. 110, no. 7, pp. 847-870, 2022.

[38]. D. Shah, J. Powers, L. Tilton, S. Kriegman, J. Bongard and R. Kramer-Bottiglio, "A soft robot that adapts to environments through shape change", Nature Machine Intelligence, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 51-59, 2020.

[39]. J. Collins, S. Chand, A. Vanderkop and D. Howard, "A Review of Physics Simulators for Robotic Applications", IEEE Access, vol. 9, pp. 51416-51431, 2021.

Cite this article

Li,K.;Qi,Z.;Feng,X. (2023). A review of continuum robots for surgical applications. Applied and Computational Engineering,6,1652-1660.

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The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

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Volume title: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Signal Processing and Machine Learning

ISBN：978-1-915371-59-1(Print) / 978-1-915371-60-7(Online)
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Conference website: http://www.confspml.org
Conference date: 25 February 2023
Series: Applied and Computational Engineering
Volume number: Vol.6
ISSN：2755-2721(Print) / 2755-273X(Online)

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References

[1]. Y. Zhong, L. Hu, and Y. Xu, “Recent advances in design and actuation of continuum robots for medical applications,” MDPI, 19-Dec-2020.

[2]. J. Burgner-Kahrs, D. Rucker and H. Choset, "Continuum Robots for Medical Applications: A Survey", IEEE Transactions on Robotics, vol. 31, no. 6, pp. 1261-1280, 2015.

[3]. M. Frecker and A. J. Snyder, “Surgical robotics: Multifunctional end effectors for robotic surgery,” PennState, Dec-2005.

[4]. G. Zhang, F. Du, S. Xue, H. Cheng, X. Zhang, R. Song, and Y. Li, “Design and modeling of a bio-inspired compound continuum robot for minimally invasive surgery,” MDPI, 11-Jun-2022.

[5]. K. Xu and N. Simaan, “Intrinsic wrench estimation and its performance index for Multisegment Continuum Robots,” IEEE Xplore, Jun-2010.

[6]. H.; Renda, F.; Stefanini, C. Concentric Tube Robots for Minimally Invasive Surgery: Current Applications and Future Opportunities. IEEE Trans. Med Robot. Bionics 2020, 2, 410–424.

[7]. F. Qi, F. Ju, D. Bai, Y. Wang, and B. Chen, “Kinematic analysis and navigation method of a cable-driven continuum robot used for minimally invasive surgery,” The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery, vol. 15, no. 4, article e2007, 2019.

[8]. R. Kang, Y. Guo, L. Chen, D. T. Branson, and J. S. Dai, “Design of a pneumatic muscle based continuum robot with embedded tendons,” IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 751–761, 2017.

[9]. J. D. Greer, T. K. Morimoto, A. M. Okamura, and E. W. Hawkes, “Series pneumatic artificial muscles (spams) and application to a soft continuum robot,” in 2017 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), pp. 5503–5510, Singapore, 2017.

[10]. C. Sun, L. Chen, J. Liu, J. S. Dai, and R. Kang, “A hybrid continuum robot based on pneumatic muscles with embedded elastic rods,” Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science, vol. 234, no. 1, pp. 318–328, 2020.

[11]. T. Greigarn, N. L. Poirot, X. Xu, and C. Cavusoglu, “Jacobianbased task-space motion planning for MRI-actuated continuum robots,” IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 145–152, 2019.

[12]. D. Alatorre, D. Axinte, and A. Rabani, “Continuum robot proprioception: the ionic liquid approach,” IEEE Transac tions on Robotics, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 526–5, 2022.

[13]. J. Liu, J. Wei, G. Zhang, S. Wang, and S. Zuo, “Pneumatic soft arm based on spiral balloon weaving and shape memory polymer backbone,” Journal of Mechanical Design, vol. 141, no. 8, 2019.

[14]. R. Kang, D. T. Branson, T. Zheng, E. Guglielmino, and D. G. Caldwell, “Design, modeling and control of a pneumatically actuated manipulator inspired by biological continuum structures,” Bioinspiration & biomimetics, vol. 8, no. 3, article 036008, 2013.

[15]. M. C. Yip, J. A. Sganga, and D. B. Camarillo, “Autonomous control of continuum robot manipulators for complex car diac ablation tasks,” Journal of Medical Robotics Research, vol. 2, no. 1, article 1750002, 2017.

[16]. M. Li, R. Kang, S. Geng, and E. Guglielmino, “Design and control of a tendon-driven continuum robot,” Transactions of the Institute of Measurement and Control, vol. 40, no. 11, pp. 3263–3272, 2018.

[17]. F. Campisano, S. Caló, A. A. Remirez et al.,“Closed-loop control of soft continuum manipulators under tip follower actu ation,” The International Journal of Robotics Research, vol. 40, no. 6-7, pp. 923–938, 2021.

[18]. Wang, J.; Lau, H.Y.K. Dexterity Analysis based on Jacobian and Performance Optimization for Multi-segment Continuum Robots. J. Mech. Robot. 2021, 13, 061012.

[19]. Biyun, X.; Jing, Z. Advances in Robotic Kinematic Dexterity and Indices. Mech. Sci. Technol. 2011, 30, 1386–1393.

[20]. Wu, L.; Crawford, R.; Roberts, J. Dexterity Analysis of Three 6-DOF Continuum Robots Combining Concentric Tube Mechanisms and Cable-Driven Mechanisms. IEEE Robot. Autom. Lett. 2016, 2, 514–521.

[21]. ISO 9283:1998, “Manipulating industrial robots– performance criteria and related test methods.” International Organization for Standardization, Standard ISO 9283:1998, 1998.

[22]. Gallardo, O. et al. (2022) Turning an articulated 3-PPSR manipulator into a parallel continuum robot, IEEE Xplore.

[23]. P. Swaney et al., "Toward Transoral Peripheral Lung Access: Combining Continuum Robots and Steerable Needles", Journal of Medical Robotics Research, vol. 02, no. 01, p. 1750001, 2017.

[24]. A. Agrawal, D. Hogarth and S. Murgu, "Robotic bronchoscopy for pulmonary lesions: a review of existing technologies and clinical data", Journal of Thoracic Disease, vol. 12, no. 6, pp. 3279-3286, 2020.

[25]. Z. Mitros, B. Thamo, C. Bergeles, L. da Cruz, K. Dhaliwal and M. Khadem, "Design and Modelling of a Continuum Robot for Distal Lung Sampling in Mechanically Ventilated Patients in Critical Care", Frontiers in Robotics and AI, vol. 8, 2021.

[26]. C. Heunis, J. Sikorski and S. Misra, "Flexible Instruments for Endovascular Interventions: Improved Magnetic Steering, Actuation, and Image-Guided Surgical Instruments", IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 71-82, 2018.

[27]. V. Mendes Pereira et al., "First-in-human, robotic-assisted neuroendovascular intervention", Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 338-340, 2020.

[28]. L. Wang, C. Guo and X. Zhao, "Magnetic soft continuum robots with contact forces", Extreme Mechanics Letters, vol. 51, p. 101604, 2022.

[29]. S. Coemert, R. Roth, G. Strauss, P. Schmitz and T. Lueth, "A handheld flexible manipulator system for frontal sinus surgery", International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery, vol. 15, no. 9, pp. 1549-1559, 2020.

[30]. H. Yoon, J. Jeong and B. Yi, "Image-Guided Dual Master–Slave Robotic System for Maxillary Sinus Surgery", IEEE Transactions on Robotics, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 1098-1111, 2018.

[31]. W. Hong, F. Feng, L. Xie and G. Yang, "A Two-Segment Continuum Robot With Piecewise Stiffness for Maxillary Sinus Surgery and Its Decoupling Method", IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, pp. 1-11, 2022.

[32]. D. Rus and M. Tolley, "Design, fabrication and control of soft robots", Nature, vol. 521, no. 7553, pp. 467-475, 2015.

[33]. T. da Veiga et al., "Challenges of continuum robots in clinical context: a review", Progress in Biomedical Engineering, vol. 2, no. 3, p. 032003, 2020.

[34]. J. Till, V. Aloi and C. Rucker, "Real-time dynamics of soft and continuum robots based on Cosserat rod models", The International Journal of Robotics Research, vol. 38, no. 6, pp. 723-746, 2019.

[35]. T. da Veiga et al., "Challenges of continuum robots in clinical context: a review", Progress in Biomedical Engineering, vol. 2, no. 3, p. 032003, 2020.

[36]. A. Franz, T. Haidegger, W. Birkfellner, K. Cleary, T. Peters and L. Maier-Hein, "Electromagnetic Tracking in Medicine—A Review of Technology, Validation, and Applications", IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging, vol. 33, no. 8, pp. 1702-1725, 2014.

[37]. P. Dupont, N. Simaan, H. Choset and C. Rucker, "Continuum Robots for Medical Interventions", Proceedings of the IEEE, vol. 110, no. 7, pp. 847-870, 2022.

[38]. D. Shah, J. Powers, L. Tilton, S. Kriegman, J. Bongard and R. Kramer-Bottiglio, "A soft robot that adapts to environments through shape change", Nature Machine Intelligence, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 51-59, 2020.

[39]. J. Collins, S. Chand, A. Vanderkop and D. Howard, "A Review of Physics Simulators for Robotic Applications", IEEE Access, vol. 9, pp. 51416-51431, 2021.

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