Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68566, USA.
IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2012 Oct;59(10):2866-73. doi: 10.1109/TBME.2012.2212439. Epub 2012 Aug 8.
Laparoscopy is beneficial to patients as measured by less painful recovery and an earlier return to functional health compared to conventional open surgery. However, laparoscopy requires the manipulation of long, slender tools from outside the patient's body. As a result, laparoscopy generally benefits only patients undergoing relatively simple procedures. An innovative approach to laparoscopy uses miniature in vivo robots that fit entirely inside the abdominal cavity. Our previous work demonstrated that a mobile, wireless robot platform can be successfully operated inside the abdominal cavity with different payloads (biopsy, camera, and physiological sensors). We hope that these robots are a step toward reducing the invasiveness of laparoscopy. The current study presents design details and results of laboratory and in vivo demonstrations of several new payload designs (clamping, cautery, and liquid delivery). Laboratory and in vivo cooperation demonstrations between multiple robots are also presented.
腹腔镜检查通过减少疼痛恢复和更早地恢复功能健康，相对于传统的开放性手术对患者有益。然而，腹腔镜检查需要从患者体外操纵长而细的工具。因此，腹腔镜检查通常仅对接受相对简单手术的患者有益。一种创新的腹腔镜检查方法使用微型活体机器人，这些机器人完全可以装在腹腔内。我们之前的工作表明，带有不同有效负载（活检、摄像头和生理传感器）的移动、无线机器人平台可以在腹腔内成功操作。我们希望这些机器人是减少腹腔镜检查侵入性的一步。本研究介绍了几种新有效负载设计（夹持、烧灼和液体输送）的设计细节和实验室及体内演示结果。还展示了多个机器人之间的实验室和体内合作演示。
