Category Archives: Endo-Periscope I

Endo-Periscope I – Compliant yet Torsion Stiff

Developed in 1999-2000, diameter 15 mm, steering range: up/down 0º-180º, left/right ±60º

The Endo-Periscope I has been developed in cooperation with Prof. Shigeo Hirose of the Hirose & Fukushima Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology.

Endo-Periscope I is a patented steerable endoscope for laparoscopic surgery containing a novel, torsion-stiff “Ring-Spring”. The compliant Ring-Spring consists of a number of spring-metal rings that are bent and welded to each other in pairs. The rings contain holes for guiding steering cables. The Ring-Spring is controlled by a novel spatial parallelogram-mechanism that unfolds the spring from a compressed position to minimize bending radius of the steerable tip. The tip has always the same orientation as the hand grip, offering intuitive control to the surgeon showing how the tip is oriented in the abdominal cavity. The Ring-Spring is only used to control up/down tip rotations. Left/right tip rotations are controlled by a conventional hinge-mechanism.

 

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