Robot-assisted flexible endoscopes are similar in design to conventional ones: they have a light source, camera, working channel for instruments, a proximal passive section and an active distal tip. Conventionally, the tip is controlled via manual actuating wheels on the handle, which shorten the cords (tendons). In robot-assisted systems, a mechatronic drive unit takes over this function. The rope is shortened via the rotation of a motor and a pulley. The endoscope is also held in position by a robotic arm or frame and does not have to be controlled manually by the surgeon. For complex procedures in single-port surgery and natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES), robotic systems have several instrument channels. The robotized endoscope with these channels is often referred to as an overtube. In some systems, the instruments are still operated manually. The illustration shows an overview of current systems at the IMT.
