Extensible continuum robotic instrument for minimally
This technology is a robotic arm made of many linked segments that can bend and stretch like a snake or tentacle, controlled by a single motor or actuator at the base. Each segment is connected to the next using a rack-and-pinion gear system, so motion at the base automatically propagates to the entire arm without needing separate motors at each joint. Each segment can rotate in two independent directions and also extend axially, giving the arm highly flexible, three-dimensional movement in tight or complex spaces. The design is specifically engineered for robotic surgery, where instruments must navigate through narrow body cavities while maintaining precise, dexterous control.
What you could build
A next-generation robotic surgical instrument or endoscope attachment that replaces rigid or cable-driven tools in minimally invasive surgery platforms; surgical robotics companies and medical device OEMs developing next-generation laparoscopic or endoscopic systems would be the buyers.
Who in Virginia should care
Virginia-based defense and biomedical device contractors, or university medical centers partnering on surgical robotics R&D, would have direct interest.
Readiness: Prototype likely
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Pinhas BEN-TZVI, Yujiong LIU
- Granted
- June 3, 2025
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 12318156
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.