ETD

• endoscopy origami actuators soft silicone

Colonoscopy is the gold standard procedure for the early screening and treatment of colorectal cancer. However, it is often a time-consuming and invasive procedure. This study focuses on the optimization and characterization of an existing origami-based colonoscope with the ultimate goal of minimizing invasiveness and discomfort for the patient. This thesis describes the design, development, and fabrication of a soft robotic colonoscope comprising two anchoring actuators (AAs) and a central actuator (CA). The AAs and CA were characterized at different pressure values and the results indicate that the AAs can achieve a mean expansion of 54.33 mm, while the CA demonstrates an elongation of 63 mm, a mean bending angle of 143.25 deg, and a maximum mean pushing force of 8.46 N.The system successfully exhibited efficient navigation capabilities in-vitro, with a speed of 1.86 mm/s.