Development and validation of a two‐segment continuum robot for maxillary sinus surgery. Issue 1 (20th October 2021) - Hong, Wuzhou
Abstract: Background: Existing rigid instruments have difficulties in backward inspection and operation. Moreover, the pathway to the maxillary sinus is curved and narrow, resulting in complex and repetitive manual operations. There is a necessity to develop a retro‐flexing robot and achieve path‐following motion. Methods: A continuum robotic system is developed for maxillary sinus surgery (MSS). And the system adopts an anatomical constraint‐based optimization of the follow‐the‐leader strategy to generate a safe control scheme along a given path. Results: The accuracy of the system is evaluated, and the task of reaching deep‐seated targets is performed in a constrained anatomical space. The simulations and experiments of the path‐following motion have validated the feasibility of the proposed method. Furthermore, a preliminary porcine study is performed to assess the capability of instruments. Conclusions: The developed continuum robotic system can meet the requirements of MSS.