Design and evaluation of a flexible manipulator for endoscope intrauterine surgery
Abstract
We designed and fabricated a prototype of the fetus supporting manipulator with a flexible mechanism and a soft balloon-based stabilizer for endoscopic intrauterine surgery. The flexible bending and curving mechanism enables the stabilizer to reach the required position in the uterus under the guidance of ultrasound. The balloon-based stabilizer could be inserted into the uterus from a small incision. The experimental findings demonstrated feasibility of the developed manipulator. The developed flexible manipulator could be controlled to reach an optimal position in the uterus and the balloon-based device could stabilize the fetus softly. The manipulator has the potential to be used in minimally invasive intrauterine surgery, though further improvements and experiments remain to be carried out.
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