Front Cover; Half Title Page; RIVER PUBLISHERS SERIES IN AUTOMATION, CONTROL AND ROBOTICS; Tilte Page; Copyright Page; Contents; Preface; Acknowledgements; List of Contributors; List of Figures; List of Tables; List of Abbreviations; PART I -- Development of Silicone-based Stiffness Controllable Actuators; Chapter 1 -- Technology Selection; 1.1 Manipulator Specifications; 1.1.1 Medical Requirements; 1.1.2 Technical Specifications; 1.2 Technological Overview of Different Actuation Strategies; 1.2.1 Active Motion Technology Survey; 1.2.1.1 Electromagnetic motors; 1.2.1.2 Electro active polymers.

1.2.1.3 Shape memory alloys1.2.1.4 Shape memory polymers; 1.2.1.5 Flexible fluidic actuator; 1.2.2 Discussion and Choice of Active Motion Technology; 1.2.3 Stiffness Variation Technology Survey; 1.2.4 Comparison and Choice; References; Chapter 2 -- Design of the Multi-module Manipulator; 2.1 The Design of the Single Module; 2.1.1 Active Motion; 2.1.2 Stiffness variation; 2.2 Connection of Multiple Modules; 2.3 Complete Characterization of the 2-Module Manipulator; 2.3.1 Fabrication; 2.3.2 Workspace Evaluation; 2.3.2.1 Methods; 2.3.2.2 Results; 2.3.3 Junction Characterization; 2.3.3.1 Methods.

2.3.3.2 Results2.3.4 Stiffness Characterization; 2.3.4.1 Methods; 2.3.4.2 Results; 2.3.5 Combined Force and Stiffening Experiments; 2.3.5.1 Methods; 2.3.5.2 Results; References; Chapter 3 -- Soft Manipulator Actuation Module -- with Reinforced Chambers; 3.1 Introduction; 3.1.1 Change of the Chamber Cross Section Area; 3.1.2 Chamber Cross Section Center Displacement; 3.1.3 Friction between the Silicone Body and Braided Sleeve; 3.1.4 Sensor Interaction; 3.2 Proposed Improvements; 3.2.1 Possible Solutions; 3.2.2 Design; 3.3 Manufacturing; 3.4 Tests; 3.4.1 Pneumatic Actuation.

3.4.2 Hydraulic Actuation3.4.3 External Force; 3.5 Stiffening Mechanism; 3.5.1 Basic Module Design; 3.5.2 Optimised Module Design; 3.6 Conclusions; Acknowledgement; References; Chapter 4 -- Antagonistic Actuation Principle for a Silicone-based Soft Manipulator; 4.1 Introduction; 4.2 Background; 4.3 Bio-Inspiration and Contributions; 4.4 Integration of the Antagonistic Stiffening Mechanism; 4.4.1 Embedding Tendon-driven Actuation into a STIFF-FLOP Segment; 4.4.2 Setup of the Antagonistic Actuation Architecture; 4.5 Test Protocol, Experimental Results, and Discussion; 4.5.1 Methodology.

4.5.2 Experimental Results4.5.3 Discussion; 4.6 Conclusions; 4.7 Funding; References; Chapter 5 -- Smart Hydrogel for Stiffness Controllable Continuum Manipulators: A Conceptual Design; 5.1 Introduction; 5.2 Materials and Methods; 5.2.1 Active Hydrogel Preparation; 5.2.2 Active Hydrogel Properties and Ion Pattern Printing; 5.3 Experiments and Discussion; 5.3.1 Swelling Test; 5.3.2 Stiffness Test; 5.4 Conclusion and Future Works; References; PART II -- Creation and Integration of Multiple Sensing Modalities; Chapter 6 -- Optical Force and Torque Sensor for Flexible Robotic Manipulators.

6.1 Introduction.

Soft and Stiffness-controllable Robotics Solutions for Minimally Invasive Surgery presents the results of a research project, funded by European Commission, STIFF-FLOP: STIFFness controllable Flexible and Learn-able manipulator for surgical Operations. In Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS), tools go through narrow openings and manipulate soft organs that can move, deform, or change stiffness. There are limitations on modern laparoscopic and robot-assisted surgical systems due to restricted access through Trocar ports, lack of haptic feedback, and difficulties with rigid robot tools operating inside a confined space filled with organs. Also, many control algorithms suffer from stability problems in the presence of unexpected conditions. Yet biological "manipulators", like the octopus arm can manipulate objects while controlling the stiffness of selected body parts and being inherently compliant when interacting with objects. STIFF-FLOP robot is an innovative soft robotic arm that can squeeze through a standard MIS, reconfigure itself and stiffen by hydrostatic actuation to perform compliant force control tasks while facing unexpected situations. Technical topics discussed in the book include:Soft actuatorsContinuum soft manipulatorsControl, kinematics and navigation of continuum manipulatorsOptical sensors for force, torque, and curvatureHaptic feedback and human interface for surgical systemsValidation of soft stiffness controllable robots

OCLC-licensed vendor bibliographic record.