Design and Control of Steerable Catheters for Minimal Invasive Applications

Recent efforts in robotics and automation research have fostered the development of a wide variety of bio-inspired snake-like continuum robots. Miniature continuum robots can access confined spaces and, thanks to their compliance, follow complex trajectories exchanging limited forces with the surroundings. These properties explain the appeal of these robots in surgical applications and minimal invasive surgery in particular, where critical tasks are to be executed within the delicate and complex environment of the human body. Compared to rigid robots, precise position and force control of these compliant robots is much more involved. It calls for an integrated approach combining accurate robot proprioception (self-awareness) with improved exteroception and 3D reconstruction of the robot’s complex, deformable and often dynamic environment. Both proximal and distal motion degrees of freedom must be controlled in a coordinated fashion to ensure optimal steerability. Such coordinated control has received too little attention in research up to now. By looking at new mechanisms for actuation, sensing and control, this PhD will establish an improved understanding of and control over the overall robot’s pose and contact state. Applications on interventions relying on robotic catheters and flexible endoscopes are envisioned.