An Inflatable Soft Robotic Manipulator with Decoupled Dual-Wrist Design for Advanced Endoscopy
Hanqi Lou, Jianlin Yang, Zhangxi Zhou, Junhong Chen, Mark Runciman, George P. Mylonas
Abstract
Minimally Invasive Surgery has advanced surgical practice, yet early-stage gastrointestinal cancer treatment remains challenging. Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection offers a solution but faces maneuverability constraints in complex anatomical environments. This paper presents a novel inflatable soft robotic manipulator with a biocompatible thin-film shell and tendon-driven antagonistic actuation. The robot remains compact at 6.5 mm of diameter, expanding to 11.7 mm to enhance stiffness for force exertion and precise manipulation. Featuring two decoupled wrists with four degrees of freedom, it enables dexterous motion for advanced endoscopic procedures. The study details design, fabrication, actuation modeling, workspace evaluation, and simulated retraction experiments in a constrained environment. Results demonstrate high repeatability, high master-slave control accuracy, effective workspace utilization, and feasibility for endoluminal applications, enhancing robotic-assisted endoscopic procedures with improved dexterity and adaptability under soft actuation constraints.
BibTeX
@inproceedings{iros2025_aninflatablesoft,
title = {An Inflatable Soft Robotic Manipulator with Decoupled Dual-Wrist Design for Advanced Endoscopy},
author = {Hanqi Lou and Jianlin Yang and Zhangxi Zhou and Junhong Chen and Mark Runciman and George P. Mylonas},
booktitle = {IROS 2025},
year = {2025}
}