The i2Snake Robotic Platform for Endoscopic Surgery

Endoscopic procedures have transformed minimally invasive surgery as they allow the examination and intervention on a patient's anatomy through natural orifices, without the need for external incisions. However, the complexity of anatomical pathways and the limited dexterity of existing instruments, limit such procedures mainly to diagnosis and biopsies. This paper proposes a new robotic platform: the Intuitive imaging sensing navigated and kinematically enhanced (i2Snake) robot that aims to improve the field of endoscopic surgery. The proposed robotic platform includes a snake- like robotic endoscope equipped with a camera, a lightsource and two robotic instruments, supported with a robotic arm for global positioning and for insertion of the i2Snake; and a master interface for master- slave teleoperation. The proposed robotic platform design focuses on ergonomics and intuitive control. The control workflow was first validated in simulation and then implemented on the robotic platform. The results are consistent with the simulation and show the clear clinical potential of the system. Limitations such as tendon backlash and elongation over time will be further investigated by means of combined hardware and software solutions. In conclusion, the proposed system contributes to the field of endoscopic surgical robots and could allow to perform more complex endoscopic surgical procedures while reducing patient trauma and recovery time.