A Hybrid Millimetric Manipulator with Magnetically Actuated Continuum Robot and Tendon Compliant Gripper

Magnetically actuated Continuum Robots (MCRs) hold tremendous potential for miniaturization, offering the ability to navigate safely through tortuous pathways in various surgical interventions, including bronchoscopy [1], neurological procedures [2], and pancreatic surg- eries [3]. Despite their promising applications, a notable challenge arises during the removal of tissues post- ablation or foreign bodies impeding proper organism function, such as bile duct obstructions. To address this limitation, this paper explores a hybrid design that amalgamates the benefits of MCRs with a millimetric tendon-actuated compliant gripper, illus- trated in Fig. 1. In this innovative design, a MCR is magnetically steered to reach the targeted location, while a distal tendon-actuated compliant gripper is employed for precise target collection. This abstract delves into the dimensioning of the gripper concerning the stiffness of the MCR and investigates the effective workspace in correlation with the MCR’s design.