Reconfigurable parallel continuum robots for incisionless surgery

We propose a new class of robotic device for minimally-invasive surgery that lies at the intersection of continuum, parallel, and reconfigurable robotics. This Continuum Reconfigurable Incisionless Surgical Parallel (CRISP) paradigm involves the use of multiple needle-diameter devices inserted through the skin and assembled into parallel structures inside the body. The parallel structure can be reconfigured inside the patient's body to satisfy changing task requirements such as reaching initially inaccessible locations or modifying mechanical stiffness for manipulation or palpation. Another potential advantage of the CRISP concept is that many small (needle-sized) entry points into the patient may be preferable in terms of both patient healing and cosmesis to the single (or multiple) larger ports needed to admit current surgical robots. This paper presents a mechanics-based model for CRISP forward and inverse kinematics, along with experimental validation.