Robotic Flexible Laparoscope with position retrieving system for assistive minimally invasive surgery

In current flexible endoscopy, manipulating the endoscope is a major problem for surgeons. No surgeon can master the procedure without much experience. Accordingly, the objective of this study is to refine our Robotic Flexible Laparoscope System (RFLS) with more useful functions. We design a new kind of laparoscope mechanism suited for our RFLS. Furthermore, in maneuvering the laparoscope intuitively, the most significant advantage is the ability of RFLS can at least save three anatomical positions, which could be retrieved by a single command with small errors. Moreover, protective algorithm is also included in our system to make sure that over rotation of the gyro sensor, which is mounted the head, does not cause any damage. Experimental results demonstrate that the articulated flexible laparoscope can always memorize the required points and return back to those points in all necessary orientations.