Air-driven spiral scaffold mechanism for a group of mini-robots working together in the intestine

IF 4.1 3区工程技术 Q2 ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC

Sensors and Actuators A-physical Pub Date : 2025-04-16 DOI:10.1016/j.sna.2025.116557

Towa Tanada , Noriko Tsuruoka , Mitsuhiro Fujishiro , Yosuke Tsuji , Fumihito Arai , Takeshi Yamaguchi , Toshiaki Nishi , Yoichi Haga

{"title":"Air-driven spiral scaffold mechanism for a group of mini-robots working together in the intestine","authors":"Towa Tanada , Noriko Tsuruoka , Mitsuhiro Fujishiro , Yosuke Tsuji , Fumihito Arai , Takeshi Yamaguchi , Toshiaki Nishi , Yoichi Haga","doi":"10.1016/j.sna.2025.116557","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We develop a scaffold to set a group of mini-robots, which can increase safety and reduce the difficulty of flexible endoscopic surgery. Performing manipulation including endoscopic inspection and ESD (Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection) in the colon (large intestine) is challenging. To solve these problems, we propose a group of mini-robots that can assist in endoscopic manipulation. Furthermore, we propose a scaffold on which the mini-robots can be installed on. The scaffold is air-driven and is an elastic body that is developed from a silicone sheet to enable safe installation in the colon. Furthermore, its shape is spiral to prevent inner pressure increase in the colon by blocking inner lumen and allow freedom of placement for the mini-robots. The scaffold that has electrical wirings can provide power supply and communication with operators. To improve scaffold friction on the colonic wall, a mesh sheet is attached to the scaffold. Furthermore, we proposed to embed a super elastic alloy wire into the scaffold to improve the reproducible expansion of the scaffold and evaluated its effect with a hydrogel-made colon model. “Anchoring force,” which is a tolerating force over a semilunar fold against the pulling force when the scaffold is pulled by traction is measured and compared. Expansion success rates are evaluated when the scaffolds are installed and inflated in the colon model. In conclusion, the scaffold with a mesh sheet has much greater anchoring force than that without a mesh sheet.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21689,"journal":{"name":"Sensors and Actuators A-physical","volume":"390 ","pages":"Article 116557"},"PeriodicalIF":4.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Sensors and Actuators A-physical","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924424725003632","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

We develop a scaffold to set a group of mini-robots, which can increase safety and reduce the difficulty of flexible endoscopic surgery. Performing manipulation including endoscopic inspection and ESD (Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection) in the colon (large intestine) is challenging. To solve these problems, we propose a group of mini-robots that can assist in endoscopic manipulation. Furthermore, we propose a scaffold on which the mini-robots can be installed on. The scaffold is air-driven and is an elastic body that is developed from a silicone sheet to enable safe installation in the colon. Furthermore, its shape is spiral to prevent inner pressure increase in the colon by blocking inner lumen and allow freedom of placement for the mini-robots. The scaffold that has electrical wirings can provide power supply and communication with operators. To improve scaffold friction on the colonic wall, a mesh sheet is attached to the scaffold. Furthermore, we proposed to embed a super elastic alloy wire into the scaffold to improve the reproducible expansion of the scaffold and evaluated its effect with a hydrogel-made colon model. “Anchoring force,” which is a tolerating force over a semilunar fold against the pulling force when the scaffold is pulled by traction is measured and compared. Expansion success rates are evaluated when the scaffolds are installed and inflated in the colon model. In conclusion, the scaffold with a mesh sheet has much greater anchoring force than that without a mesh sheet.

查看原文本刊更多论文

一组微型机器人在肠道内协同工作的空气驱动螺旋支架机构

我们开发了一种支架来设置一组微型机器人，可以增加安全性，降低柔性内窥镜手术的难度。在结肠（大肠）中进行包括内镜检查和内镜粘膜下剥离（ESD）在内的操作是具有挑战性的。为了解决这些问题，我们提出了一组可以协助内镜操作的微型机器人。此外，我们提出了一个支架，微型机器人可以安装在上面。支架是空气驱动的，是一个由硅胶片制成的弹性体，可以安全地安装在结肠中。此外，它的形状是螺旋形的，通过阻塞内腔来防止结肠内压力增加，并允许微型机器人自由放置。有电线的脚手架可以提供电源并与操作人员通信。为了提高支架在结肠壁上的摩擦力，支架上附着了一层网片。此外，我们建议在支架中嵌入超弹性合金丝，以提高支架的可重复性膨胀性，并使用水凝胶制作的结肠模型评估其效果。测量并比较“锚定力”，即在半月形褶皱上对牵引力的容差力。当支架在结肠模型中安装并充气时，评估扩张成功率。综上所述，有网片的支架比没有网片的支架具有更大的锚固力。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Sensors and Actuators A-physical 工程技术-工程：电子与电气

CiteScore

8.10

自引率

6.50%

发文量

630

审稿时长

49 days

期刊介绍： Sensors and Actuators A: Physical brings together multidisciplinary interests in one journal entirely devoted to disseminating information on all aspects of research and development of solid-state devices for transducing physical signals. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical regularly publishes original papers, letters to the Editors and from time to time invited review articles within the following device areas: • Fundamentals and Physics, such as: classification of effects, physical effects, measurement theory, modelling of sensors, measurement standards, measurement errors, units and constants, time and frequency measurement. Modeling papers should bring new modeling techniques to the field and be supported by experimental results. • Materials and their Processing, such as: piezoelectric materials, polymers, metal oxides, III-V and II-VI semiconductors, thick and thin films, optical glass fibres, amorphous, polycrystalline and monocrystalline silicon. • Optoelectronic sensors, such as: photovoltaic diodes, photoconductors, photodiodes, phototransistors, positron-sensitive photodetectors, optoisolators, photodiode arrays, charge-coupled devices, light-emitting diodes, injection lasers and liquid-crystal displays. • Mechanical sensors, such as: metallic, thin-film and semiconductor strain gauges, diffused silicon pressure sensors, silicon accelerometers, solid-state displacement transducers, piezo junction devices, piezoelectric field-effect transducers (PiFETs), tunnel-diode strain sensors, surface acoustic wave devices, silicon micromechanical switches, solid-state flow meters and electronic flow controllers. Etc...