Soft Robotic Actuator Leveraging Switchable Strain-Limiting Structures for Tumor Biopsy and Ablation in MRI

Abstract

Despite its multiple advantages over classical procedures, interventional magnetic resonance imaging (iMRI) remains a rarely used method in percutaneous tumor biobsy and ablation of the liver. Mainly due to the difficult and special environment in the MRI scanner, automation of the process through the use of robots remains a challenge. Soft robotic systems, made of soft materials and actuated by pneumatic pressure, offer a way to assist interventionalists in their daily work in iMRI. In this paper, we present a soft robotic actuator that leverages switchable interlocking strain-limiting structures for bending and position locking. Comb-like structures in separate chambers are used to create the actuator's bending motion through force-transmitting form-closure.