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Development of a 6 DOF Soft Robotic Manipulator with Integrated Sensing Skin

This paper presents a new 6 DOF soft robotic manipulator intended for colorectal surgery. The manipulator, based on a novel design that employs an inextensible tube to limit axial extension, is shown to maximize the force exerted at its tip and the bending angle, the latter being measured with a soft sensing skin. Manufacturing of the prototype is achieved with a lost-wax silicone-casting technique. The kinematic model of the manipulator, its workspace, and its manipulability are discussed. The prototype is evaluated with extensive experiments, including pressure-deflection measurement with and without tip load, and lateral force measurements with and without the soft sensing skin to assess hysteresis. The experimental results indicate that the prototype fulfils the key design requirements for colorectal surgery: (i) it can generate sufficient force to perform a range of laparoscopic tasks; (ii) the workspace is commensurate with the dimensions of the large intestine; (iii) the soft sensing skin only results in a marginal reduction of the maximum tip rotation within the range of pressures and external loads relevant for the chosen application.