Selective stiffening mechanism for surgical-assist soft robotic applications

Sunita Chauhan, Mathew Guerra, Ranjaka De Mel

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference PaperOther

2 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The compliant nature of soft robots provides a safer interaction with humans when compared to rigid robots. Hence, soft robotic devices have increasingly become an area of research for medical applications where patient safety is paramount. However, due to the high flexibility inherent in these devices, their flexural rigidity inhibits their ability to exert sufficient forces. In this work, a new wire jamming mechanism is proposed to selectively change the flexural rigidity of soft robotic instruments and a hybrid robotic prototypes based on this concept is presented. Results showed that this mechanism increased the stiffness by almost five folds. The simplicity of the concept will easily allow further optimization for its potential use in surgical-assist applications.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationIntelligent Systems and Applications - Proceedings of the 2018 Intelligent Systems Conference IntelliSys Volume 1
EditorsKohei Arai, Supriya Kapoor, Rahul Bhatia
PublisherSpringer
Pages791-803
Number of pages13
ISBN (Print)9783030010539
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2019
EventIntelligent Systems Conference 2018 - London, United Kingdom
Duration: 6 Sept 20187 Sept 2018

Publication series

NameAdvances in Intelligent Systems and Computing
Volume868
ISSN (Print)2194-5357

Conference

ConferenceIntelligent Systems Conference 2018
Abbreviated titleIntelliSys 2018
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityLondon
Period6/09/187/09/18

Keywords

  • Flexural rigidity
  • Minimally invasive surgery
  • Soft robots
  • Surgical-assist devices
  • Vacuum activated control

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