Page 18 - Flexible Robotics in Medicine

xviii Preface

The design concepts of most chapters have an emphasis on the clinical background and
needs, which subsequently lead ideas into real solutions recognized by the community.
With prototype-specific regulatory requirements in mind, we identify and evaluate a
prototype classification and justify the unique contributions in comparison with the
competing technologies.
User specifications emphasize the needs of the design project and the process of
parameterizing those needs, in contrast with similar states of the art. Design rationale and
verification discuss the experiments and benchmarking tests that apply to the prototype
claims and design functionality. The design-centric chapters also identify engineering
testing standards and how a measure applies to design. An example of standards to
reference is the ASTM standards.

Most chapters illustrate the process of reaching the final prototype demonstrations (as in the
supplementary videos), and it was fascinating to observe the creative side of our members
addressing the same problem with different approaches. Remarkable prototypes further push
forward to clinical cadaveric study to validate the design concepts. 3D printing technology
is typically for the rapid fabrication of manipulator segments and proof-of-concept study in
the chapters. Various design iterations with 3D printing allowed the rapid progression
through the design process of a series of flexible manipulators. The fabrication of small
components would have been difficult with the current fabrication capabilities of a 3D
printer, and an alternative way will be upscaled prototyping for a proof-of-concept study.
A competitiveness analysis component is to understand the states of the arts and a brief
survey of bedside potential. Patents are integral to intellectual property protection, and the
design-centric chapters documented the process of defining features and how the design
would break into claims in a patent. The patent review encompasses the novel aspects of
the design and contrasts their composition with other patents. Most design-centric chapters
analyze from a biomedical engineering standpoint, which involves modeling and
verifications during the device developments. The combination of these elements
strengthens and promotes future cutting-edge designs.

Through the documentation of each chapter’s design journey, we can observe the growth of
the design through the various stages, where the final design encompasses parts of
creativity from the different stages. The book is mostly the prototype developments from
our design-centric projects and modules at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the
National University of Singapore. I highly appreciate the investigation efforts from my
collaborators and my group members at different levels ranging from undergraduates,
graduates, to postdoc fellows. We envision the book primarily for biorobotics beginners to
have a glimpse of the design journey in evolving various motion generation mechanisms for
medical applications.