Print Email Facebook Twitter Design of the MemoFlex: A Higly Manoeuvrable Backbone for a Dendritic Manipulator Title Design of the MemoFlex: A Higly Manoeuvrable Backbone for a Dendritic Manipulator Author Krijger, T. Contributor Dankelman, J. (mentor) Breedveld, P. (mentor) Faculty Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering Department BioMechanical Engineering Programme BME Date 2012-10-08 Abstract Endo-Nasal Skull-Base Surgery (ENSBS) is preformed at the area around the base of the skull and has great advantages compared to Open Skull Base Surgery (OSBS). Due to limitations in surgical equipment, ENSBS is not always a viable option. This research attempts to address these limitations through the development of a highly manoeuvrable, actively controlled, shape memory instrument. A design of such an instrument is proposed which achieves shape memory control through remote cable actuation. Motions are transmitted from a series of segments in the handle, to identical segments in the tip of the mechanism. The design includes a fully mechanical shape memory mechanism incorporated inside the handle which should allow the tip, through motion transition from the handle, to follow a custom defined path in space. The design has been prototyped on large scale and its working principle evaluated. Results showed a design flaw with respect to cable motion in the handle. This flaw was caused by the applied steering principle and sequence of segment cable connections. Partial validation of the feasibility of a fully mechanical highly manoeuvrable instrument with shape memory control has been achieved, and increased understanding into the design working mechanism has been obtained. Finally, a redesign of the original concept is provided, including a discussion on the opportunities for miniaturization, and an analysis into the additional necessary future developments for this instrument. To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:ad2310f3-f9d0-448a-8735-efefd3a55799 Embargo date 2016-10-08 Part of collection Student theses Document type master thesis Rights (c) 2012 Krijger, T. Files PDF Thesis_Tim_Krijger.pdf 113.5 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:ad2310f3-f9d0-448a-8735-efefd3a55799/datastream/OBJ/view