Deployable Parallelogram Mechanism and Constrained Bendable Segment for Flexible Robot Toward Transoral Procedures

A deployable parallelogram mechanism and a constrained bendable segment are proposed for a flexible robot to address the transoral robotic procedure's demands. The deployable mechanism based on a parallelogram mechanism increases the kinematic flexibility of manipulators. The bendable segment with a controllable constraint allows the robot to have a variable bending radius, expanded workspace, and increased distal dexterities. This paper presents the robotic system, including the manipulators, the bendable segment, the actuation parts, and the master device. The kinematic analysis and the workspace characterization of the manipulator and the bendable segment are conducted. The benchtop experiments, including deploying force, load capacity, and performance tests, have validated the deployable mechanism and the bendable segment.