Design Conceptualization of a Flexible Robotic Drill System for Minimally Invasive Tracheostomy

The medical field has been seeing an increasing trend towards minimally invasive surgeries for a significant period of time. Minimally invasive surgeries tend to be less risky than their traditional counterparts, due to smaller incisions that have less risk for bleeding or infection while expediting healing time. Minimally invasive techniques can also be paired with robotic control systems to reduce error for commonly performed surgical tasks or procedures. The trend towards minimally invasive surgeries requires the development of novel medical devices to perform these surgical techniques properly, which is the unmet need addressed by this project. This problem is addressed in the context of tracheostomy, a common procedure performed on critical care patients to gain airway access to restore normal breathing. The goal of this project was to design a flexible drill bit to facilitate the drilling of a tracheostomy hole from an endoscopic device that can be inserted through the oral cavity. This drill bit must be flexible, to bend to approximately 90° to approach the esophageal wall perpendicularly and drill into the trachea for windpipe access. Following the design and assembly of the drill bit, a simple proof-of-concept experiment verified the mechanical stability of the drill over various bending angles.