Visual feedback during laparoscopic surgery is provided by an endoscope with a camera that is inserted through a small incision in the abdominal wall. The incision restricts the endoscope movements to 4 degrees of freedom (DOF), making it impossible to observe organs from different sides. This paper describes two 6 DOF steerable endoscopes that contain a new spatial parallelogram-mechanism to transform the handgrip movements into movements of the steerable tip. Part of the mechanism is a new kind of spring that combines high torsion stiffness with a low bending stiffness. The endoscopes and the spring have been applied for two international patents.
Issue Section:
Technical Papers
1.
Gibson, J. J., 1979, The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, USA, ISBN 0-395-27049-9, 332 pp.
2.
Rock, I., 1995, Perception, Scientific American Library, New York, ISBN 0-7167-6011-8, 256 pp.
3.
Breedveld
, P.
, Stassen
, H. G.
, Meijer
, D. W.
, and Jakimowicz
, J. J.
, 2000
, “Observation in Laparoscopic Surgery—Overview of Impeding Effects and Supporting Aids
,” J. Laparoendosc Adv. Surg. Tech. A
, 10
(5
), pp. 257
–267
.4.
Voorhorst
, F.
, Meijer
, D.
, Overbeeke
, C.
, and Smets
, G.
, 1998
, “Depth Perception in Laparoscopy Through Perception-Action Coupling
,” Minimally Invasive Therapy and Allied Technologies
, 7
(4
), pp. 325
–334
.5.
Breedveld
, P.
, Stassen
, H. G.
, Meijer
, D. W.
, and Jakimowicz
, J. J.
, 1999
, “Manipulation in Laparoscopic Surgery—Overview of Impeding Effects and Supporting Aids
,” J. Laparoendosc Adv. Surg. Tech. A
, 9
(6
), pp. 469
–480
.6.
Breedveld, P., and Hirose S., 2002, “Development of Steerable Endoscopes to Improve Depth Perception During Laparoscopic Surgery,” Proc. ASME Design Engineering Conference, Paper DETC2002/MECH-34283, Sept. 29-Oct. 2, Hotel Le Center Sheraton, Montreal, Canada, 6 pp.
Copyright © 2004
by ASME
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