{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,26]],"date-time":"2026-02-26T12:35:07Z","timestamp":1772109307189,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":90,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,17]],"date-time":"2026-02-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1771286400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"European Union\u2014Next Generation EU and Romanian Government","award":["760072\/23.05.2023"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["760072\/23.05.2023"]}]},{"name":"European Union\u2014Next Generation EU and Romanian Government","award":["CF 116\/15.11.2022"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CF 116\/15.11.2022"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Robotics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Flexible surgical instruments for Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery (RAMIS) face a critical limitation: the inability to rotate the distal head while the instrument is in a bent configuration, which restricts the maneuverability in narrow surgical workspaces. Methods: This paper presents a novel 4-degree-of-freedom (DOF) flexible laparoscopic instrument with a 10 mm diameter, incorporating a 3D-printed flexible element. The design enables independent bending (0\u201390\u00b0), continuous distal head rotation (360\u00b0), gripper actuation (0\u201360\u00b0), and rod rotation (180\u00b0). A constant-curvature kinematic model was developed. The instrument was manufactured using PolyJet 3D printing technology and integrated with the ATHENA parallel robot for proof-of-concept experimental validation. Results: Experimental tests demonstrated successful independent 360\u00b0 distal head rotation across the full bending range (0\u201390\u00b0), validated through simulated surgical procedures including stomach retraction. Quantitative characterization using optical motion capture revealed a maximum angular deflection of 79.85\u00b0 at 670 g applied load, with tip displacements of 74.95 mm (X) and 91.18 mm (Y). The measured grasping force was approximately 2 N, tip position repeatability was \u00b12.86 mm, and fatigue testing demonstrated no degradation after 500 bending cycles, confirmed by digital microscope inspection. The instrument performed multiple manipulation tasks, including elastic band transfer, wire path navigation, spring manipulation, and tissue grasping. Conclusions: The proposed instrument addresses a significant white spot in surgical robotics by adding an additional functional capability enabling grasper reorientation without repositioning the entire instrument.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/robotics15020046","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,18]],"date-time":"2026-02-18T07:50:30Z","timestamp":1771401030000},"page":"46","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Modeling of a 4-DOF Flexible Laparoscopic Instrument for Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2822-9790","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Calin","family":"Vaida","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"CESTER-Research Center for Industrial Robots Simulation and Testing, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 28 Memorandumului Street, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"European University of Technology, European Union"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-0483-7691","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ionut","family":"Zima","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CESTER-Research Center for Industrial Robots Simulation and Testing, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 28 Memorandumului Street, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"European University of Technology, European Union"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5887-3408","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Florin","family":"Graur","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CESTER-Research Center for Industrial Robots Simulation and Testing, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 28 Memorandumului Street, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Surgery, \u201cIuliu Hatieganu\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4427-6231","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bogdan","family":"Gherman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CESTER-Research Center for Industrial Robots Simulation and Testing, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 28 Memorandumului Street, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"European University of Technology, European Union"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Vasile","family":"Bulbucan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CESTER-Research Center for Industrial Robots Simulation and Testing, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 28 Memorandumului Street, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"European University of Technology, European Union"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5660-8259","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paul","family":"Tucan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CESTER-Research Center for Industrial Robots Simulation and Testing, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 28 Memorandumului Street, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"European University of Technology, European Union"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5804-575X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alexandru","family":"Pusca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CESTER-Research Center for Industrial Robots Simulation and Testing, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 28 Memorandumului Street, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"European University of Technology, European Union"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9618-9359","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Florin","family":"Zaharie","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CESTER-Research Center for Industrial Robots Simulation and Testing, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 28 Memorandumului Street, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Surgery, \u201cIuliu Hatieganu\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Pierre","family":"Mougenot","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CESTER-Research Center for Industrial Robots Simulation and Testing, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 28 Memorandumului Street, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"Laboratory of Numerical Sciences in Nantes, Joint Research Unit 6004, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), \u00c9cole Centrale Nantes, Nantes Universit\u00e9, F-44000 Nantes, France"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5531-6913","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Adrian","family":"Pisla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CESTER-Research Center for Industrial Robots Simulation and Testing, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 28 Memorandumului Street, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"European University of Technology, European Union"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7847-6162","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Damien","family":"Chablat","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CESTER-Research Center for Industrial Robots Simulation and Testing, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 28 Memorandumului Street, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"Laboratory of Numerical Sciences in Nantes, Joint Research Unit 6004, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), \u00c9cole Centrale Nantes, Nantes Universit\u00e9, F-44000 Nantes, France"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nadim","family":"Al Hajjar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CESTER-Research Center for Industrial Robots Simulation and Testing, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 28 Memorandumului Street, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"Department of Surgery, \u201cIuliu Hatieganu\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7014-9431","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Doina","family":"Pisla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CESTER-Research Center for Industrial Robots Simulation and Testing, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 28 Memorandumului Street, 400114 Cluj-Napoca, Romania"},{"name":"European University of Technology, European Union"},{"name":"Technical Sciences Academy of Romania, B-dul Dacia, 26, 030167 Bucharest, Romania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"111","DOI":"10.1109\/RBME.2012.2236311","article-title":"Emerging Robotic Platforms for Minimally Invasive Surgery","volume":"6","author":"Vitiello","year":"2013","journal-title":"IEEE Rev. 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