Abstract
NOTES (Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery) is an experimental surgical technique performed via one of the natural orifices (mouth, anus, vagina, urethra, etc) to avoid an external incision or scars. Surgical manipulator for NOTES is required to have long and flexible stems in order to be inserted into channels of overtube. This paper presents a development of robotic manipulator for NOTES, including design and kinematic analysis. 4DOF thin manipulator, 5.5mm in diameter, has a multi-revolute joint in order to minimize the joint size. Many wires driven using simple mechanism help the joint to enhance the operating force on the manipulator tip. Some additional mechanisms required for NOTES system such as elbow-out joint and tension controller are also presented. Moreover this paper describes the method to simplify the kinematics of multi-revolute joint and minimize the errors which are caused from the simplification.
