Study on one-direction bendable articulated needle

In minimally invasive surgery, steerable needle is needed to perform medical tasks in the deep of a human body. In some cases, a one-direction bendable needle can satisfy actual needs. Therefore, a one-direction bendable articulated needle is proposed in this paper. The proposed needle consists of a beveltip head, articulations, and sections. Articulations can only be bent along the tip direction. Needle´s structures are analyzed with different head lengths, section lengths, and bending angles of articulations. Basic force analysis is performed to indentify the steering force and the force acting on an articulation. Finally, basic steering analysis is performed to understand a needle´s trajectory. The proposed needle is more easily to be controlled to avoid obstacles in human body while insertion.