Design and evaluation of robotic steering of a flexible endoscope

In current flexible endoscopy the physician faces problems in manipulating the endoscope. A lot of experience is required to master the procedure. This paper describes the design of an add-on robotic module that improves the user interface of traditional endoscopes and allows a single physician to operate it easily. We identified critical user aspects of traditional endoscopes that need to be copied in a robotic setup. In our design the physician uses a remote control that is connected to a light drive system. It allows manipulation of the robotic endoscope in space. We conducted an experiment to judge the usability of our system. Results indicate that robotic steering, using a position-controlled touchpad or a rate-controlled joystick increases efficiency and satisfaction.