Sub-millimeter fiberscopic robot with integrated maneuvering, imaging, and biomedical operation abilities
Abstract Small-scale continuum robots hold promise for interventional diagnosis and treatment, yet existing models struggle to achieve small size, precise steering, and visualized functional treatment simultaneously, termed an “impossible trinity”. This study introduces an optical fiber-based contin...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55199-6 |
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| _version_ | 1841559281893113856 |
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| author | Tieshan Zhang Gen Li Hao Ren Liu Yang Xiong Yang Rong Tan Yifeng Tang Dong Guo Haoxiang Zhao Wanfeng Shang Yajing Shen |
| author_facet | Tieshan Zhang Gen Li Hao Ren Liu Yang Xiong Yang Rong Tan Yifeng Tang Dong Guo Haoxiang Zhao Wanfeng Shang Yajing Shen |
| author_sort | Tieshan Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Small-scale continuum robots hold promise for interventional diagnosis and treatment, yet existing models struggle to achieve small size, precise steering, and visualized functional treatment simultaneously, termed an “impossible trinity”. This study introduces an optical fiber-based continuum robot integrated imaging, high-precision motion, and multifunctional operation abilities at submillimeter-scale. With a slim profile of 0.95 mm achieved by microscale 3D printing and magnetic spray, this continuum robot delivers competitive imaging performance and extends obstacle detection distance up to ~9.4 mm, a tenfold improvement from the theoretical limits. Besides, the robot showcases remarkable motion precision (less than 30 μm) and substantially widens the imaging region by ~25 times the inherent view. Through ex vivo trials, we validate the robot’s practicality in navigating constrained channels, such as the lung end bronchus, and executing multifunctional operations including sampling, drug delivery, and laser ablation. The proposed submillimeter continuum robot marks a significant advancement in developing biomedical robots, unlocking numerous potential applications in biomedical engineering. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-58df565d5c304a9fac95cc834955b48e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-58df565d5c304a9fac95cc834955b48e2025-01-05T12:35:52ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232024-12-0115111210.1038/s41467-024-55199-6Sub-millimeter fiberscopic robot with integrated maneuvering, imaging, and biomedical operation abilitiesTieshan Zhang0Gen Li1Hao Ren2Liu Yang3Xiong Yang4Rong Tan5Yifeng Tang6Dong Guo7Haoxiang Zhao8Wanfeng Shang9Yajing Shen10Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyThe Robot and Automation Center and the Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong KongDepartment of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyThe Robot and Automation Center and the Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong KongThe Robot and Automation Center and the Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong KongDepartment of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyNational Engineering Laboratory of Big Data System Computing Technology, Shenzhen UniversityDepartment of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and TechnologyAbstract Small-scale continuum robots hold promise for interventional diagnosis and treatment, yet existing models struggle to achieve small size, precise steering, and visualized functional treatment simultaneously, termed an “impossible trinity”. This study introduces an optical fiber-based continuum robot integrated imaging, high-precision motion, and multifunctional operation abilities at submillimeter-scale. With a slim profile of 0.95 mm achieved by microscale 3D printing and magnetic spray, this continuum robot delivers competitive imaging performance and extends obstacle detection distance up to ~9.4 mm, a tenfold improvement from the theoretical limits. Besides, the robot showcases remarkable motion precision (less than 30 μm) and substantially widens the imaging region by ~25 times the inherent view. Through ex vivo trials, we validate the robot’s practicality in navigating constrained channels, such as the lung end bronchus, and executing multifunctional operations including sampling, drug delivery, and laser ablation. The proposed submillimeter continuum robot marks a significant advancement in developing biomedical robots, unlocking numerous potential applications in biomedical engineering.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55199-6 |
| spellingShingle | Tieshan Zhang Gen Li Hao Ren Liu Yang Xiong Yang Rong Tan Yifeng Tang Dong Guo Haoxiang Zhao Wanfeng Shang Yajing Shen Sub-millimeter fiberscopic robot with integrated maneuvering, imaging, and biomedical operation abilities Nature Communications |
| title | Sub-millimeter fiberscopic robot with integrated maneuvering, imaging, and biomedical operation abilities |
| title_full | Sub-millimeter fiberscopic robot with integrated maneuvering, imaging, and biomedical operation abilities |
| title_fullStr | Sub-millimeter fiberscopic robot with integrated maneuvering, imaging, and biomedical operation abilities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sub-millimeter fiberscopic robot with integrated maneuvering, imaging, and biomedical operation abilities |
| title_short | Sub-millimeter fiberscopic robot with integrated maneuvering, imaging, and biomedical operation abilities |
| title_sort | sub millimeter fiberscopic robot with integrated maneuvering imaging and biomedical operation abilities |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-55199-6 |
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