Magnetically-steered Serpentine Laparoscopic Instrument

Numerous medical devices used in laparoscopy and endoscopy rely on wall forces to direct the probe tip around curved interior surfaces.

Although such devices are less invasive than open surgery, they can potentially injure delicate wall surfaces.

The present idea is to guide a serpentine probe around interior curves using externally-positioned magnetic fields (probably electromagnets with adjustable current.)

The probe tube itself would be composed of a series of annular rings (or a coil like a Slinky(tm)) of suitable magnetic material, which would group together in the presence of a magnetic field, causing bend to occur in the tube, radius dependent on the applied field. Near the magnet, the rings would group together; at the far side, the rings would be spaced further apart, resulting in a curvature controllable by the applied field.

For instance, to navigate an artery, curves would be introduced by externally applied magnets to prevent the probe tube from applying force to the walls of the artery.

Appropriate imaging could interact with the fields applied.