• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

SAGES

Reimagining surgical care for a healthier world

  • Home
    • COVID-19 Annoucements
    • Search
    • SAGES Home
    • SAGES Foundation Home
  • About
    • Who is SAGES?
    • SAGES Mission Statement
    • Advocacy
    • Strategic Plan, 2020-2023
    • Committees
      • Request to Join a SAGES Committee
      • SAGES Board of Governors
      • Officers and Representatives of the Society
      • Committee Chairs and Co-Chairs
      • Full Committee Rosters
      • SAGES Past Presidents
    • Donate to the SAGES Foundation
    • Awards
      • George Berci Award
      • Pioneer in Surgical Endoscopy
      • Excellence In Clinical Care
      • International Ambassador
      • IRCAD Visiting Fellowship
      • Social Justice and Health Equity
      • Excellence in Community Surgery
      • Distinguished Service
      • Early Career Researcher
      • Researcher in Training
      • Jeff Ponsky Master Educator
      • Excellence in Medical Leadership
      • Barbara Berci Memorial Award
      • Brandeis Scholarship
      • Advocacy Summit
      • RAFT Annual Meeting Abstract Contest and Awards
  • Meetings
    • NBT Innovation Weekend
    • SAGES Annual Meeting
      • 2023 Scientific Session Call For Abstracts
      • 2023 Emerging Technology Call For Abstracts
    • CME Claim Form
    • Industry
      • Advertising Opportunities
      • Exhibit Opportunities
      • Sponsorship Opportunities
    • Future Meetings
    • Past Meetings
      • SAGES 2022
      • SAGES 2021
    • Related Meetings Calendar
  • Join SAGES!
    • Membership Benefits
    • Membership Applications
      • Active Membership
      • Affiliate Membership
      • Associate Active Membership
      • Candidate Membership
      • International Membership
      • Medical Student Membership
    • Member News
      • Member Spotlight
      • Give the Gift of SAGES Membership
  • Patients
    • Healthy Sooner – Patient Information for Minimally Invasive Surgery
    • Patient Information Brochures
    • Choosing Wisely – An Initiative of the ABIM Foundation
    • All in the Recovery: Colorectal Cancer Alliance
    • Find a SAGES Member
  • Publications
    • SAGES Stories Podcast
    • SAGES Clinical / Practice / Training Guidelines, Statements, and Standards of Practice
    • Patient Information Brochures
    • TAVAC – Technology and Value Assessments
    • Surgical Endoscopy and Other Journal Information
    • SAGES Manuals
    • SCOPE – The SAGES Newsletter
    • COVID-19 Annoucements
    • Troubleshooting Guides
  • Education
    • OpiVoid.org
    • SAGES.TV Video Library
    • Safe Cholecystectomy Program
      • Safe Cholecystectomy Didactic Modules
    • Masters Program
      • SAGES Facebook Program Collaboratives
      • Acute Care Surgery
      • Bariatric
      • Biliary
      • Colorectal
      • Flexible Endoscopy (upper or lower)
      • Foregut
      • Hernia
      • Robotics
    • Educational Opportunities
    • HPB/Solid Organ Program
    • Courses for Residents
      • Advanced Courses
      • Basic Courses
    • Video Based Assessments (VBA)
    • Robotics Fellows Course
    • MIS Fellows Course
    • Facebook Livestreams
    • Free Webinars For Residents
    • SMART Enhanced Recovery Program
    • SAGES OR SAFETY Video
    • SAGES at Cine-Med
      • SAGES Top 21 MIS Procedures
      • SAGES Pearls
      • SAGES Flexible Endoscopy 101
      • SAGES Tips & Tricks of the Top 21
  • Opportunities
    • NEW-Area of Concentrated Training Seal (ACT)-Advanced Flexible Endoscopy-Coming Soon!
    • SAGES Fellowship Certification for Advanced GI MIS and Comprehensive Flexible Endoscopy
    • Multi-Society Foregut Fellowship Certification
    • SAGES Research Opportunities
    • Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery
    • Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery
    • Fundamental Use of Surgical Energy
    • Job Board
    • SAGES Go Global: Global Affairs and Humanitarian Efforts
  • Search
    • Search All SAGES Content
    • Search SAGES Guidelines
    • Search the Video Library
    • Search the Image Library
    • Search the Abstracts Archive
  • Store
    • “Unofficial” Logo Products
  • Log In

SOFTIE : Soft hOllow Flexible roboT for Interventional Endoscopy

Luigi Manfredi, PhD, Alfred Cuschieri, Professor. Institute for Medical Science and Technology, University of Dundee, UK

INTRODUCTION

A robotic soft colonoscope able to change its shape to conform to the contours of the individual patient’s colon, will expedite the painless transit form rectum to caecum, essential for completing a colonoscopic inspection, thereby avoiding need for sedation during screening colonoscopy (SC).

However, the design and construction of such a mini robotic device for SC is challenging because of the limited available colonic luminal space (varying from 40 to 90 millimetre) and the length of the colon (circa 1.5 meter). As all the tracts of the colorectal mucosa require inspection, the critical feature in the design of such a mini-robotic device is the choice of mini soft actuators used to control force required and produced with minimal stress reducing the potential for collateral damage to the colonic wall.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES

In contrast to the traditional flexible colonoscope, the authors propose a novel alternative platform, i.e., a Soft hOllow Flexible roboT for Interventional Endoscopy (SOFTIE) equipped with a high resolution camera at the distal section and a channel for a biopsy instrument. The design of SOFTIE is novel as it is based on a patented soft and hollow modular pneumatic actuator, made of soft polymer. This actuator can perform dexterous movements by inflating its chamber with a low pressurised air.

SOFTIE is able to change its form by controlling each segment (mini soft actuator) without any stress or forces on the colonic wall, hence ensuring painless SC, thereby increasing compliance. The mini-soft robot will be manoeuvrable and controlled in its journey through the colorectum via an external simple console, facilitating its navigation inside the colonic lumen, and reducing the long training process required to reach proficiency at expert level.

RESULTS

A preliminary concept of this actuator (Figure 1) has been tested in the lab at IMSaT and has shown high dexterity with a low pressurised air in a tubular device with an external diameter of 20 mm, and an inner lumen of 5 mm. SOFTIE aims to develop a modular actuator, embedding all the required components with external control soft robotic device made up of 5 to 15 soft compartments.

CONCLUSIONS

Preliminary experiments have indicated the potential of the proposed soft actuator in the development of a new generation of active soft colonoscopes. Different control strategies can be implemented and further improvements in the design of additional components (e.g. air valves and embedded electronic system) are needed to reduce size of the hardware and produce a modular soft actuator.

Figure 1: Preliminary concept design of a soft pneumatic actuator, developed at IMSaT, University of Dundee, UK. The external diameter is 20 millimetres and preliminary experiments have reported high dexterity and manoeuvrability.

Acknowledgment: CARPE project supported by the EU-FP7, European Research Council, PoC, Grant Agreement n.665696.

Disclosure: [1] Patent application N. GB 1617934.3, UK, 2016.


Presented at the SAGES 2017 Annual Meeting in Houston, TX.

Abstract ID: 84330

Program Number: ETP745

Presentation Session: Emerging Technology Poster

Presentation Type: Poster

184

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • WhatsApp
  • Reddit

Related

« Return to SAGES 2017 abstract archive

Our Mission

Innovate, educate and collaborate to improve patient care.

Recently, on SAGES…

Critical View of Safety (CVS) Challenge QR Code

The SAGES Critical View of Safety Challenge – Donate Your Lap Chole Videos!

The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons is hosting the first Artificial Intelligence Data Challenge conducted by surgeons. The aim of this challenge is to generate a large and diverse dataset of laparoscopic cholecystectomy videos, annotated with respect to the subcomponents of the Critical View of Safety (CVS). Computer scientists from all over the […]

Respuesta de SAGES al Estudio NordICC sobre el beneficio de las colonoscopias de detección

SAGES desea aclarar los resultados del estudio NordICC y colocarlos en contexto de los esfuerzos de varias agencias nacionales para reducir el riesgo de cáncer colorrectal – la segunda causa de muerte por cáncer más frecuente en los Estados Unidos-, mediante la promoción de la detección y tratamiento oportuno de las lesiones.

SAGES Response to NordICC Study Regarding Benefit of Screening Colonoscopies

The NordICC Study recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine and widely reported on by media outlets has raised questions regarding the benefit of screening colonoscopy in lowering the risk of colorectal cancer and cancer-related deaths among otherwise healthy and symptom-free men and women aged 55 to 64. Provocative headlines and commentaries have […]

Contact SAGES

Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons
11300 W. Olympic Blvd Suite 600
Los Angeles, CA 90064 USA
webmaster@sages.org
Tel: (310) 437-0544

Find Us Around the Web!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Important Links

SAGES 2023 Meeting Information

Healthy Sooner: Patient Information

SAGES Guidelines, Statements, & Standards of Practice

SAGES Manuals

 

  • taTME Study Info
  • Foundation
  • SAGES.TV
  • MyCME
  • Educational Activities

Copyright © 2023 Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons