Making Concentric Tube Robots More Accessible: An Open-Source Platform with Easy-to-Source Components and Guided Learning Materials
Public DepositedConcentric Tube Robots (CTRs) are miniaturized continuum robots that are typically studied for their potential applications in minimally invasive surgery. Current research for CTRs is limited to a select few academic institutions that have existing laboratories and equipment for this type of research. There have been very few open-source or accessible designs for CTR systems, and the tubes themselves are often manufactured out of Nitinol, a super-elastic and expensive material. This thesis seeks to lower the barrier to entry into this field of research by providing a low-cost, open-source CTR research platform that is accessible to first year graduate students with a background in general engineering. The main contributions to this thesis are (1) a physical design for a full CTR, including BOMs and assembly instructions, (2) guiding materials to assist with learning challenging content, and (3) a user study that demonstrates the usability of our platform for early-stage graduate students.
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- etd-114936
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- 2023
- Date created
- 2023-12-08
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- etd-114936
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- Last modified
- 2024-01-25
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Permanent link to this page: https://digital.wpi.edu/show/jd4731641