The AI-driven Self-Navigating Miniature Serpentine Robotic System (AiSNMSR), developed by ITRI, addresses key challenges in Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) such as limited operational space, small orifice diameters, excessive bleeding, and risks associated with punctures, infections, and inefficient cleaning. This award-winning system integrates omnidirectional bending, real-time tactile/haptic feedback, self-navigation, and modular tool-swapping capabilities, allowing surgeons to perform precise, efficient, and safe procedures with ease.

AiSNMSR is composed of a main controller, a navigation module with tactile/haptic sensing, an endoscope equipped with a CMOS camera, and additional devices customized for specific medical applications. The system provides surgeons with tactile/haptic feedback for precise navigation and mimics human tactile perception, enhancing operational control. The flexibility of our robotic endoscope allows omnidirectional bending up to 210 degrees. Additionally, our AI-enhanced processing provides real-time imaging data for accurate positioning, obstacle recognition, and environmental adaptation, ensuring both safety and precision during surgery.

The AiSNMSR system could be used in a wide range of surgical fields, such as gastroenterology, obstetrics and gynecology, urology, colorectal surgery, neurosurgery, and gastrointestinal surgery, with the capabilities to reduce postoperative pain, shorten recovery times, minimize complications, increase surgical success rates, and improve overall patient outcomes. The system has been validated through collaboration with the Chief of Thoracic Surgery at National Taiwan University Hospital, and this innovative robotic system represents a leap forward in minimally invasive surgical technology.