ACTIVATED POLYMER ARTICULATED INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS OF INSERTION

摘要

An electro-polymeric articulated endoscope (90) and method of insertion are described herein. A steerable endoscope (90) having a segmented, elongated body (96, 98, 100) with a manually or selectively steerable distal portion (102) and an automatically controlled proximal portion can be articulated by electro-polymeric materials. These materials are configured to mechanically contract or expand in the presence of a stimulus, such as an electrical field. Adjacent segments of the endoscope (90) can be articulated using the electro-polymeric material by inducing relative differences in size or length of the material when placed near or around the outer periphery along a portion of the endoscope.