A novel trocar-less, multi-point of view, magnetic actuated laparoscope

As a result of the rapid spreading of stereoscopy in the consumer market, three-dimensional (3D) vision systems are replacing two-dimensional devices. A fast growing technology in the 3D visualization systems market is multi-views autostereoscopic displays (ADs). However, these devices have not yet found a direct application in minimally invasive surgery (MIS), as it is really challenging to embed a high number of point-of-views in a device which has to pass through a MIS incision. The aim of this work is the development of a miniaturized vision acquisition system for MIS, which can be interfaced with multi-views ADs. The system is anchored by a magnetic link to the abdomen and freely moved by magnetic actuation to adjust the point of view and the horizon of the cameras. The laparoscope can embed up to 9 cameras, while matching typical MIS access incision size.