Robot, particularly for mini-invasive surgery through a single parietal incision or natural orifice

Inventors

FORGIONE, Antonello • JAUVTIS, Louis Judah • ZALTIERI, Renzo

Assignees

VALUEBIOTECH Srl

Abstract

A robot configured for mini-invasive surgery through a single parietal incision and/or natural orifice includes at least one articulated support, a stiffening component, and at least one maneuvering element. The articulated support includes a plurality of rigid bodies that are mutually associated. The stiffening component is associated with the articulated support and adapted for the transition of the articulated support from an inactive configuration, in which the rigid bodies can move with respect to each other, to an active configuration, in which the rigid bodies are mutually aligned so as to form a guide, and vice versa. The least one maneuvering element can be associated slidingly with the guide of the articulated body in its active configuration and can engage selectively a plurality of operating instruments accommodated in at least one container body that can be associated with the articulated support in its active configuration.

Core Innovation

The invention is a robot for mini-invasive surgery through a single parietal incision or natural orifice. The robot includes at least one articulated support formed by a plurality of rigid bodies pivotally engaged to each other, and an imager integrated within the articulated support to provide imaging capability within the articulated support.

The articulated support incorporates at least one tensioning element configured to transition the articulated support from an inactive configuration, where the rigid bodies are movable relative to each other, to an active configuration, where the rigid bodies are fixed relative to each other forming a guide. The rigid bodies include a hollow conical end and a convex conical end on adjacent rigid bodies, configured to engage each other by tensioning the at least one tensioning element to transition into the active configuration.

At a distal end of the articulated support, at least one container body is fixed and configured to store a plurality of operating instruments simultaneously. A robotic arm is slidingly engaged with the guide of the articulated support in the active configuration and is configured to selectively engage the plurality of operating instruments stored in the container body while the robotic arm and the container body are disposed in a body cavity.

The articulated support additionally comprises at least one guiding carriage with engagement mechanisms configured to engage with engagement mechanisms of the robotic arm, enabling the robotic arm to translate and rotate with respect to the articulated support, and translation means configured to translate the guiding carriage in the guide.

Claims Coverage

The independent claim defines six main inventive features around an articulated multi-rigid-body support, integrated imaging, a tensioning-based transition from inactive to active guide configuration using hollow and convex conical end engagement, a distal container body storing multiple operating instruments, a sliding robotic arm that selectively engages stored instruments in a body cavity, and guiding carriage engagement enabling translation and rotation within the guide.

Overall, the claim coverage is centered on an articulated, multi-rigid-body support with an integrated imager and a tensioning element that forms an active guide via hollow and convex conical end engagement, combined with a distal container storing multiple instruments and a sliding robotic arm that selectively engages those instruments in a body cavity. Motion between the arm and the support is enabled by guiding carriage engagement mechanisms and translation means for translating the guiding carriage within the guide.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications