Title
Design of a Soft Bio-Inspired Tissue Transport Mechanism
Author
Kortman, V.G. (TU Delft Medical Instruments & Bio-Inspired Technology)
Jovanova, J. (TU Delft Transport Engineering and Logistics) 
Sakes, A. (TU Delft Medical Instruments & Bio-Inspired Technology)
Date
2023
Abstract
In the medical field, it is essential to remove delicate tissues from the body without damaging them or disturbing the surroundings. Current tissue transport mechanisms depend on the tissue composition and shape of the transported tissue, which results in problems such as clogging. This study presents a soft transportation mechanism for tissues inspired by the longitudinal muscles associated with the peristaltic movement of the gastrointestinal tract. The mechanism is designed as a conveying toroid that turns itself inside out in a continuous motion. A fabrication method was developed to manufacture a small-sized silicone toroid, filled with lubricating liquid. Comparable to the peristaltic movement, the silicone toroid adapts its shape to the transported tissue which results in a soft seal around the tissue. The toroid conveys the tissue while locking it at a stationary spot. A prototype was built to evaluate the transport efficiency of the conveying toroid in differently curved pathways. The preliminary experiments showed good transport efficiency, revealing the potential of the proposed soft transport mechanism for medical, and other transport applications.
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:52e6b03d-d0aa-41e0-b31f-d081bfcfa7b6
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1109/RoboSoft55895.2023.10121942
Publisher
IEEE
Embargo date
2023-10-15
ISBN
9798350332223
Source
Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics, RoboSoft 2023
Event
IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics, RoboSoft 2023, 2023-04-03 → 2023-04-07, Singapore
Bibliographical note
Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.
Part of collection
Institutional Repository
Document type
conference paper
Rights
© 2023 V.G. Kortman, J. Jovanova, A. Sakes