Robotic catheterization for trauma-reduced minimally invasive surgeries with morphing adaptation

Abstract

In minimally invasive surgeries, robotic technology is employed to manipulate medical instruments to reach target locations for diagnosis and treatment. It is challenging to eliminate collisions or contact between medical instruments and tissues, which increases the risk of complications for patients and limits the scope of many surgeries. This paper proposes a morph-adaptive catheter that combines magnetic deformation control with the solid-liquid phase transition capability of low-melting-point alloys. This enables the catheter to navigate around avoidance tissues and reach the target location without collisions or contact. Theoretical calculations have preliminarily verified the consistency between the expected and actual deformations, and experiments have initially demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed morph-adaptive catheter for contactless operation. This approach offers a new method to reduce tissue damage from instruments and enhance the safety of surgeries in minimally invasive surgeries.