Du Jiayang, Cao Lin, Dogramadzi Sanja
School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
Front Robot AI. 2025 Apr 14;12:1580692. doi: 10.3389/frobt.2025.1580692. eCollection 2025.
This paper introduces a shape-adaptable robotic endoscope design, which combines an expansion mechanism and external drive system that provide tip insertion force and adjust the tip shape and size to different colon diameters. Expansion rate of 53% has been achieved in the expandable tip size, which corresponds to changes in the colon diameter. We tested the prototype locomotion in a pipe with different friction surface layers, including artificial bowel tissues, to assess propulsion force and normal force on the colon that can be achieved with the current design. The prototype can generate a propulsion force of 2.83 N, and the maximum linear speed of 29.29 mm/s on the artificial tissue surface. It can produce effective propulsion when it passes through pipes of different diameters. The results demonstrate the prototype's ability for shape adaptation that maintains the required traction force on the bowel wall.
本文介绍了一种形状自适应的机器人内窥镜设计，该设计结合了一个扩展机构和外部驱动系统，可提供尖端插入力，并根据不同的结肠直径调整尖端形状和大小。在可扩展的尖端尺寸上实现了53%的扩展率，这与结肠直径的变化相对应。我们在具有不同摩擦表面层（包括人工肠组织）的管道中测试了原型的运动，以评估当前设计所能实现的对结肠的推进力和法向力。该原型在人工组织表面可产生2.83 N的推进力，最大线速度为29.29 mm/s。当它穿过不同直径的管道时，能够产生有效的推进力。结果证明了该原型具有形状自适应能力，能够在肠壁上保持所需的牵引力。
