We leveraged continuum robotics to create a flexible variable stiffness endoport for laparoscopic single-site surgery. The endoport concept is a flexible manipulator realized as a two-segment tendon-actuated continuum robot capable of stiffening its structure through a layer jamming sheath. Three working channels offer application and quick exchange of flexible surgical tools, either manual or robotic as well as endoscopes.

This work was in collaboration with Dr. Florian Imkamp Clinic for Urology and Urologic Oncology, Hannover Medical School, Germany.

Funding

  • internal

Publications

Designing a robotic port system for laparo-endoscopic single-site surgery

Ernar Amanov

PhD Thesis, Leibniz University Hannover, 2019.

DOI
Toward a Flexible Variable Stiffness Endoport for Single-Site Partial Nephrectomy

Ernar Amanov, Thien-Dang Nguyen, Steffen Markmann, Florian Imkamp, Jessica Burgner-Kahrs

Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 46 (10), pp. 1498-1510, 2018.

DOI
First Results on a Flexible Variable Stiffness Endoport for Single-Site Partial Nephrectomy

E Amanov, Thien-Dang Nguyen, Florian Imkamp, J Burgner-Kahrs

The Hamlyn Symposium on Medical Robotics, pp. 91–92, 2017.