Design and validation of a novel tracheal intubation robot*

Tracheal intubation is a crucial measure to ensure smooth respiration during general anesthesia surgeries. Currently, manual intubation is commonly employed, with its success heavily reliant on the proficiency of the physicians performing the procedure. In this paper, a 3 degree-of-freedom (DOF) master-slave operated tracheal intubation robotic system is proposed, wherein a flexible endoscope serves as the end effector. The structural components of the master-slave mechanism are described in detail, and the kinematic model of the flexible endoscope is established. Four participants were recruited to conduct experimental research on master-slave operation intubation. In the experiment, the shortest operation time recorded was 8.88 seconds, while the longest is 72.04 seconds, they are less than the clinically required safety threshold of 2 minutes. This validates the feasibility of the developed prototype in achieving robot-assisted intubation.