Insertion experiments of a biologically inspired microtextured and multi-part probe based on reciprocal motion.

While there have been significant advances in minimally invasive surgical instrumentation, the majority of tools still rely on a push from the back to aid insertion into the tissue, whether the process is manual or servo assisted. In this work, a novel approach to tool insertion is proposed which is based on the concept of a multi-part probe with at least three interlocking segments. By means of a sequential insertion process, where each segment is pushed further into the tissue while stabilized by the remaining stationary parts, the multi-part probe concept is shown to successfully "insinuate itself" within a synthetic soft tissue specimen without the need for an overall forward push. The presence of an anisotropic microtextured outer probe surface is also shown to affect the overall speed of insertion and can thus be used to optimize the interaction forces at the probe-tissue interface. A measured reduction in the force transferred to the back of the specimen also suggests that this approach to tool insertion may result in reduced tissue disruption, a result which could lead to less tissue damage and a reduction in target displacement.