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Surgery has witnessed remarkable advancements in terms of enhancement of the overall quality and min- imization of the impact of surgical procedures on pa- tients. A notable evolution has occurred transitioning from traditional open-access approaches to minimally invasive surgery (MIS). Despite the undeniable advan- tages of MIS, significant challenges persist regarding the adaption of conventional surgical instruments, which have to be miniaturized yet suitable for accurate surgical tasks, like the device shown by Salerno et al. 1. Traditional rigid-joint-based instruments have mechan- ical disadvantages like wear and backlash due to tiny mechanical components, that are prolonging and com- plicating also the sterilization process 2. In response to these challenges, an innovative solution emerges by applying origami-inspired design principles. The inherent versatility of origami structures offers the potential for flexible, lightweight and adaptable surgical tools. A recent origami-inspired manipulator for eye surgery proposed by Suzuki et al. 3 shows that its compact design provides several advantages such as fewer mechanical parts, backlash-free flexure joints and easy and less expensive manufacturing. This work aims to explore an origami-based approach to advance MIS by introducing an innovative gripper designed to overcome the limitations of traditional sur- gical tools. Primary focus is on creating an innovative origami-based design, exploiting rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing techniques. The gripper was me- chanically characterized for assessing its functionality and performance.
Mocellin et al. (Tue,) studied this question.