Abstract
NOTES (natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery) allows for exceedingly minimally invasive surgery but has high requirement for dexterity, force capabilities and safety of tools. Researchers have proposed some flexible instrument used in surgeries. However, little work has considered the safety problem of the instrument to human tissues due to the absence of controllable flexibility and insufficient force capabilities. This paper presents a design of a flexible and stiffness changeable mechanism which can serve as a tunnel for NOTES tools. Furthermore, the flexible and the stiffness changeable properties are evaluated by FEM analysis.
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