A Robotic Laparoscope Holder With High Bending Curvature Based on an Origami Metamaterial
Haixin Zhao, Jinhua Li, Yue Yu, Qiqiang Sun, Zhaoyao Wang, Shuai Zeng, Lizhi Pan, Jianchang ZhaoABSTRACT
Background
Robotic laparoscope holders offer stable visualisation and reduce operator fatigue, thereby enhancing surgical efficiency. Flexible endoscopes provide better manoeuverability than rigid ones but struggle to achieve large bending in confined abdominal spaces.
Methods
This study proposes a robotic laparoscope holder with high bending curvature based on an origami metamaterial composed of serially connected spatial bending units and umbrella‐like motion components. The bending motion is achieved through rotational coupling between linkages, without cable actuation. A prototype was fabricated to experimentally validate the feasibility of the proposed mechanism.
Results
Experimental results show that the proposed robotic laparoscope holder can achieve a bending range exceeding 240 within an effective bending length of approximately 29 mm, with a maximum positional error of around 2.5 mm and a payload capacity of 200 g.
Conclusions
This design provides surgeons with enhanced operational flexibility and stable visualisation, demonstrating strong potential for laparoscopic surgery applications.