Design motorized hand held flexible instrument for minimally invasive surgery (MIS)

Some phases of laparoscopic surgery, such as suturing, require precise and dexterous movements that are difficult to perform by means of rigid instruments. Multi-DOF hand held instruments have been developed to increase movement dexterity. In this paper, we present the design of a hand held flexible instrument that can be operated by the surgeon with one hand only, while standing at the operating table. Its main advantages are the low weight and providing sufficient degree of freedom for moving in complex space. The instrument can be used easily and rapidly, since it does not require long or complex set up procedures. We describe the instrument design and the development of the first prototype.