A multi-module soft robotic arm with soft actuator for minimally invasive surgery.

BACKGROUND: Compared to traditional rigid robotic arms, soft robotic arms are flexible, environmentally adaptable and biocompatible. Recently, most minimally invasive cardiac procedures still rely on traditional rigid surgical tools. However, rigid tools lack sufficient bending angles, which are high-risk in terms of contact with tissues and organs. METHODS: A soft robotic arm with multiple degrees of freedom was designed to repair atrial septal defects in cardiac surgery. The developed multi-module soft robotic arm consists of four different units, including a bending unit, a turning unit, a stretching unit and gripper units. The three movement units can reach the specified position, and the gripper units can hold a surgical tool stably, such as a suture needle in cardiac surgery. RESULTS: A cardiac surgery to repair an atrial septal defect has been completed, validating the reliability and functionality of the developed multi-module soft robotic arm. CONCLUSIONS: The multi-module flexible soft robotic arm for minimally invasive surgery proposed in this paper can reach the designated surgical area during surgery to repair Atrial Septal Defects. Meanwhile, the design of the actuator of the robot arm was used a completely soft silicone material replacing the rigid material, which releases the contact trauma of the organs during the surgery.