Design of an Autoclavable Active Cannula Deployment Device

Concentric tube continuum devices, known as active cannulas, consist of multiple precurved elastic tubes that extend telescopically and rotate axially with respect to each other. Through these degrees of freedom, an active cannula presents a dexterous and versatile “tentaclelike” mechanism for accessing targets in minimally invasive surgery. Deploying an active cannula in a practical surgical setting requires a sterilizable device capable of specifying positions and trajectories for each degree of freedom. While robotic devices will likely enable this to be done most efficiently in the future, initial clinical feasibility studies are best undertaken with manual devices. In this paper, we present specifications, design, and development of a manual (that is, not motorized) active cannula deployment device.