A Novel Robotic Bronchoscopic Surgical System

Transbronchil biopsy has the characteristic of less trauma and quick recovery compared to percutaneous aspiration biopsy. In order to automate this procedure, it requires the development of a robotic surgical system that combines electromagnetic navigation and flexible endoscope. The robotic surgical system introduced herein consists of flexible endoscope, remote-control handle, electromagnetic navigation and dexterous manipulators. The robotic system supports lung bronchial model segmentation and reconstruction, automatic bronchial path planning, real-time navigation and visual biopsy. In the control of the endoscopic catheter, an elasticity compensation algorithm was proposed to improve the location accuracy of the catheter and operational efficiency. Clinical trials proved that the robotic system had high positioning accuracy, was intuitive to operate, and could improve the biopsy efficiency, shorten the learning time, reduce the burden of surgical operations, and lower radiation exposure and infection rate.