Design and Modelling of Continuum Robot for Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection Surgery With Lifting Force Estimation

Background Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is an effective treatment for early‐stage gastrointestinal cancers. However, traditional surgical instruments lack accuracy and force‐sensing. Methods A new type of continuum robot for ESD is designed. An accurate static model of the proposed continuum robot is established, considering cases where the robot bends into C‐shapes and S‐shapes. A force estimation method based on an accurate static model is proposed. Then, the accuracy of the static model and force estimation is verified through experiments. Finally, an ex‐organ experiment is carried out. Results The average position error of the proposed static model is 0.72 mm, accounting for 2.57% of the total robot length. The average error of force estimation is 19.53 mN. By gripping and cutting ex‐porcine gastric mucosa, the robot's functionality is validated. Conclusion This paper contributes to precise control and safe interaction of continuum robots.