The Design and Development of an Atraumatic Soft Robotic Surgical Retractor
This paper introduces a novel soft robotic surgical retractor system, designed to overcome the limitations of traditional surgical retractors through the integration of soft robotics. Unlike conventional rigid retractors, this innovative system features a dual-component design combining a 3D-printed...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IEEE
2025-01-01
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| Series: | IEEE Access |
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| Online Access: | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10852300/ |
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| author | Gavril Yong En Tan Shaun Mahesh Buxani Benjamin Wee Keong Ang Chao Yu Chen Raye Chen Hua Yeow Hung Leng Kaan |
| author_facet | Gavril Yong En Tan Shaun Mahesh Buxani Benjamin Wee Keong Ang Chao Yu Chen Raye Chen Hua Yeow Hung Leng Kaan |
| author_sort | Gavril Yong En Tan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper introduces a novel soft robotic surgical retractor system, designed to overcome the limitations of traditional surgical retractors through the integration of soft robotics. Unlike conventional rigid retractors, this innovative system features a dual-component design combining a 3D-printed thermoplastic polyurethane actuator with a stainless-steel splint (SSS), enabling variable stiffness for more effective and less traumatic tissue retraction. The study presents a comprehensive evaluation, including bending angle, blocked force measurements, actuation time efficiency, and a comparative analysis with traditional stainless steel Langenbeck retractors. Results demonstrate the soft robotic retractor’s superior performance, especially when utilizing the tip for retraction, indicating a significant alignment with the requirements for abdominal organ retraction. Furthermore, the system exhibited reduced deformation to retracted soft objects, suggesting a potential for minimizing tissue trauma compared to conventional retractors. The study proposes directions for enhancing retraction strength, optimizing design for improved force output, and conducting comprehensive testing to ensure clinical viability. This work lays the groundwork for future advancements in soft robotic surgical retractors, promising to revolutionize surgical retraction practices by offering enhanced safety and efficiency. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d8e5f9a70af6441ba6fa070e665f69a3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2169-3536 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IEEE |
| record_format | Article |
| series | IEEE Access |
| spelling | doaj-art-d8e5f9a70af6441ba6fa070e665f69a32025-01-31T23:05:06ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362025-01-0113198881989710.1109/ACCESS.2025.353401910852300The Design and Development of an Atraumatic Soft Robotic Surgical RetractorGavril Yong En Tan0https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8834-3609Shaun Mahesh Buxani1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2361-5051Benjamin Wee Keong Ang2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8313-6541Chao Yu Chen3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5507-3122Raye Chen Hua Yeow4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6210-4548Hung Leng Kaan5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0526-9100Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Cluny Road, SingaporeDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Cluny Road, SingaporeDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Cluny Road, SingaporeDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Cluny Road, SingaporeDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Cluny Road, SingaporeDepartment of Surgery, National University of Singapore, Cluny Road, SingaporeThis paper introduces a novel soft robotic surgical retractor system, designed to overcome the limitations of traditional surgical retractors through the integration of soft robotics. Unlike conventional rigid retractors, this innovative system features a dual-component design combining a 3D-printed thermoplastic polyurethane actuator with a stainless-steel splint (SSS), enabling variable stiffness for more effective and less traumatic tissue retraction. The study presents a comprehensive evaluation, including bending angle, blocked force measurements, actuation time efficiency, and a comparative analysis with traditional stainless steel Langenbeck retractors. Results demonstrate the soft robotic retractor’s superior performance, especially when utilizing the tip for retraction, indicating a significant alignment with the requirements for abdominal organ retraction. Furthermore, the system exhibited reduced deformation to retracted soft objects, suggesting a potential for minimizing tissue trauma compared to conventional retractors. The study proposes directions for enhancing retraction strength, optimizing design for improved force output, and conducting comprehensive testing to ensure clinical viability. This work lays the groundwork for future advancements in soft robotic surgical retractors, promising to revolutionize surgical retraction practices by offering enhanced safety and efficiency.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10852300/Finger actuatorsoft roboticsvariable stiffnessjammingretractorsurgery |
| spellingShingle | Gavril Yong En Tan Shaun Mahesh Buxani Benjamin Wee Keong Ang Chao Yu Chen Raye Chen Hua Yeow Hung Leng Kaan The Design and Development of an Atraumatic Soft Robotic Surgical Retractor IEEE Access Finger actuator soft robotics variable stiffness jamming retractor surgery |
| title | The Design and Development of an Atraumatic Soft Robotic Surgical Retractor |
| title_full | The Design and Development of an Atraumatic Soft Robotic Surgical Retractor |
| title_fullStr | The Design and Development of an Atraumatic Soft Robotic Surgical Retractor |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Design and Development of an Atraumatic Soft Robotic Surgical Retractor |
| title_short | The Design and Development of an Atraumatic Soft Robotic Surgical Retractor |
| title_sort | design and development of an atraumatic soft robotic surgical retractor |
| topic | Finger actuator soft robotics variable stiffness jamming retractor surgery |
| url | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10852300/ |
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