Hyper-redundant robots (HRR) have many more degrees of freedom (DOF) than required, which enable them to handle more constraints, such as those present in highly convoluted volumes. Consequently, they can serve in many robotic applications, while extending the reachability and maneuverability of the operator. Many degrees of freedom that furnish the HRR with its wide range of capabilities also provide its major challenges: mechanism design, control, and path planning. In this paper, we present a novel design of a HRR composed of 16DOF. The HRR is composed of two concentric structures: a passive backbone and an exoskeleton which carries self-weight as well as external loads. The HRR is 80 cm long, 7.7 cm in diameter, achieves high rigidity and accuracy and is capable of 180 deg bending. The forward kinematics of the HRR is presented along with the inverse kinematics of a link. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4007203]

Localization and navigation of an endoscope within a patient’s body is usually based on anatomical landmarks recognized by the surgeon. However, this technique can be complicated when a long and flexible endoscope is used. The present study describes a novel system that provides longitudinal position and orientational stabilization of the endoscopic image using a miniature magnetic sensor located at the tip of a flexible endoscope. As a result, the surgeon’s perception of anatomical features is enhanced enabling accurate localization of the endoscope. To evaluate the performance of the proposed system and its applicability to clinical use, an in vivo experiment was performed in which surgeons used the system to perform neuroendoscopy surgery on a pig’s spinal cord.