Abstract: A
robotic endoscope is mainly composed of a tactile array sensor,
soft mobile mechanism for earthworm locomotion and turning
mechanism based on shape memory effect. The tactile array sensor
can provide the information about magnitude and orientation of
interacting forces between the robotic endoscope and the wall of
gastrointestinal tracts. The soft mobile mechanism contacts
gastrointestinal tracts with air-in inflatable balloons, so it
has better soft and non-invasive properties. The turning
mechanism can be actively bent by shape memory alloy components
and conform to the complex shape of gastrointestinal tracts. The
working principle of robotic endoscope is dealt with.
Key words: Medical
robot Endoscope Earthworm locomotion Shape memory alloy
*
This
project is supported by Shanghai Education Committee. Received June 13,
2000; received in revised form November 1, 2001; accepted January 8, 2002
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