Endovascular therapy has emerged as a crucial therapeutic method for treating vascular diseases. Endovascular surgical robots have been used to enhance endovascular therapy. However, to date, there are no universal endovascular surgical robots that support molds of different types of devices for treating vascular diseases. We developed a novel endovascular surgical robotic system that can independently navigate the intravascular region, advance and retract devices, and deploy stents. This robot has four features: (1) The bionic design of the robot can fully simulate the entire grasping process; (2) the V-shaped relay gripper waived the need to redesign special guidewires and catheters for continuous rotation; (3) the handles designed based on the feedback mechanism can simulate push resistance and reduce iatrogenic damage; and (4) the detachable design of the grippers can reduce cross-infection risk and medical costs. We verified its performance by demonstrating six different types of endovascular surgeries. Early evaluation of the novel endovascular robotic system demonstrated its practicability and safety in endovascular surgeries.
Keywords: biomimetics; endovascular repair; medical robots and systems; surgical robotics.