An Intuitive Endoscope Operating System With an Interface Suitable for Cartesian Coordinate Input*

Endoscopes are useful tools for inspecting and observing places that are inaccessible to humans and ordinary cameras. However, it is difficult to operate an endoscope intuitively because there is an embodiment difference between the endoscope and the human body. In this study, we developed an endoscope operating system that uses a Cartesian coordinate input interface. To investigate the range of movement achieving the required accuracy, we measured the actual movement of the endoscope tip using a magnetic three-dimensional positioning sensor. We compared the actual and estimated positions and postures at the endoscope tip and estimated the errors. The results showed that the error of the thrust output was sufficiently small. Furthermore, we can achieve the required accuracy in the range of movement from −74.9° to 80.0° in the roll direction, and from −37.5° to 50.0° in the yaw direction.Clinical relevance— This paper presents an accurate and intuitive endoscope operating system with a new interface.