A Kind of Flexible Forceps With High Clamping Force and Large Opening Angle for Endoscopic Surgery
Yuan Xing, Fengchuan Liang, Mengjie Chen, Kang Kong, Tao Liang
Abstract
In endoscopic submucosal dissection, endoscopic forceps is subject to stringent requirements regarding flexibility, miniaturization, and mechanical performance. However, most existing endoscopic forceps suffer from insufficient clamping force and limited opening angle. In this letter, we analyze the influence of the jaw configuration on the clamping force and opening angle of flexible forceps, and develop an innovative composite-groove jaw configuration that achieves a high clamping force of 2.57 N and a large opening angle of 105<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{\circ }$</tex-math></inline-formula>, while maintaining a compact outer diameter of 2.8 mm. Additionally, the forceps provides 360<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{\circ }$</tex-math></inline-formula> independent distal rotation, allowing flexible orientation under bent configurations. The kinematic model of the forceps, established based on screw theory, defines a workspace that approximates a hemisphere with a radius of 15 mm. Its modular design facilitates rapid instrument replacement during surgery. The ex vivo experiment on a fresh porcine stomach confirms its ability to realize effective tissue traction and surgical field exposure during endoscopic submucosal dissection, demonstrating its potential to improve efficiency and safety in endoscopic surgery.
BibTeX
@inproceedings{ral2026_akindofflexiblef,
title = {A Kind of Flexible Forceps With High Clamping Force and Large Opening Angle for Endoscopic Surgery},
author = {Yuan Xing and Fengchuan Liang and Mengjie Chen and Kang Kong and Tao Liang},
booktitle = {RA-L 2026},
year = {2026}
}