Lightweight hand-held robot for laparoscopic surgery

Some phases of laparoscopic interventions, such as suturing, require precise and dexterous movements that are difficult to perform by means of rigid instruments. Multi-DOF hand-held instruments and teleoperated systems have been developed to increase movement dexterity. In this paper, we present the design of a novel hand-held robotic instrument that can be operated by the surgeon with one hand only, while standing at the operating table and acting on a traditional laparoscopic instrument with the other hand. Its main advantages are the low weight, achieved by dislocating the motors and using a flexible transmission, and the possibility to switch end-effector, changing the instrument type according to the phase of the intervention. The instrument can be used easily and rapidly, since it does not require long or complex set-up procedures. We describe the instrument design, the development of the first prototype and compare it to rigid instruments in the ability to approach sutures at various angles.