Background: Traditional flexible endoscopes are sophisticated medical devices that require frequent and expensive maintenance. Therefore, their implementation within low-income and rural regions is challenging due to their high cost, complex sterilization process and poor portability. Aims: This paper aims to develop an endoscopic platform that is low-cost, disposable and portable, with the primary goal of reducing gastric cancer-related mortality among low- and middle-income communities through wider access to regular screening programs. Materials and Methods: The endoscope employs a custom microvalve to switch between hydraulic actuation of a spatial bending fluidic actuator and water-jet actuation. Three alloy wires with buckle attachments are connected to a pneumatic balloon which facilitates reversible shape-locking of the actuator, and thus supports stable scanning by water-jet actuation. Distal tip of the device has an internal charge-coupled device camera for inspection. Results: Experiments demonstrated a 58\% increase in the workspace after introduction of the water-jet and more than three times the load-locking ability variation. Phantom experiment was also conducted for performance comparison with a traditional endoscope. Conclusion: By controlling the pressure of supplied water and the inflation of locking balloon, the endoscope achieves a satisfactory workspace and a remarkable shape-locking ability, demonstrating its potential clinical value in improving the prospects for upper gastrointestinal tract disease screening, especially gastric cancer.
%0 Journal Article
%1 liu2021dualbending
%A Liu, Jianbin
%A Yin, Linkun
%A Chandler, James H.
%A Chen, Xin
%A Valdastri, Pietro
%A Zuo, Siyang
%D 2021
%J International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery
%K cancer endoscopy,shape-locking gastric mechanism,water-jet screening,microvalve,robotic
%N 1
%P 1--13
%R 10.1002/rcs.2197
%T A dual-bending endoscope with shape-lockable hydraulic actuation and water-jet propulsion for gastrointestinal tract screening
%V 17
%X Background: Traditional flexible endoscopes are sophisticated medical devices that require frequent and expensive maintenance. Therefore, their implementation within low-income and rural regions is challenging due to their high cost, complex sterilization process and poor portability. Aims: This paper aims to develop an endoscopic platform that is low-cost, disposable and portable, with the primary goal of reducing gastric cancer-related mortality among low- and middle-income communities through wider access to regular screening programs. Materials and Methods: The endoscope employs a custom microvalve to switch between hydraulic actuation of a spatial bending fluidic actuator and water-jet actuation. Three alloy wires with buckle attachments are connected to a pneumatic balloon which facilitates reversible shape-locking of the actuator, and thus supports stable scanning by water-jet actuation. Distal tip of the device has an internal charge-coupled device camera for inspection. Results: Experiments demonstrated a 58\% increase in the workspace after introduction of the water-jet and more than three times the load-locking ability variation. Phantom experiment was also conducted for performance comparison with a traditional endoscope. Conclusion: By controlling the pressure of supplied water and the inflation of locking balloon, the endoscope achieves a satisfactory workspace and a remarkable shape-locking ability, demonstrating its potential clinical value in improving the prospects for upper gastrointestinal tract disease screening, especially gastric cancer.
@article{liu2021dualbending,
abstract = {Background: Traditional flexible endoscopes are sophisticated medical devices that require frequent and expensive maintenance. Therefore, their implementation within low-income and rural regions is challenging due to their high cost, complex sterilization process and poor portability. Aims: This paper aims to develop an endoscopic platform that is low-cost, disposable and portable, with the primary goal of reducing gastric cancer-related mortality among low- and middle-income communities through wider access to regular screening programs. Materials and Methods: The endoscope employs a custom microvalve to switch between hydraulic actuation of a spatial bending fluidic actuator and water-jet actuation. Three alloy wires with buckle attachments are connected to a pneumatic balloon which facilitates reversible shape-locking of the actuator, and thus supports stable scanning by water-jet actuation. Distal tip of the device has an internal charge-coupled device camera for inspection. Results: Experiments demonstrated a 58{\%} increase in the workspace after introduction of the water-jet and more than three times the load-locking ability variation. Phantom experiment was also conducted for performance comparison with a traditional endoscope. Conclusion: By controlling the pressure of supplied water and the inflation of locking balloon, the endoscope achieves a satisfactory workspace and a remarkable shape-locking ability, demonstrating its potential clinical value in improving the prospects for upper gastrointestinal tract disease screening, especially gastric cancer.},
added-at = {2023-05-10T16:23:27.000+0200},
author = {Liu, Jianbin and Yin, Linkun and Chandler, James H. and Chen, Xin and Valdastri, Pietro and Zuo, Siyang},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/23e145fdd2735f56b452edd8800a7ff57/sassw},
doi = {10.1002/rcs.2197},
interhash = {468906f965913d2e9d1b67265929e2a0},
intrahash = {3e145fdd2735f56b452edd8800a7ff57},
issn = {1478596X},
journal = {International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery},
keywords = {cancer endoscopy,shape-locking gastric mechanism,water-jet screening,microvalve,robotic},
number = 1,
pages = {1--13},
pmid = {33113224},
timestamp = {2023-05-10T16:23:27.000+0200},
title = {{A dual-bending endoscope with shape-lockable hydraulic actuation and water-jet propulsion for gastrointestinal tract screening}},
volume = 17,
year = 2021
}