US 12,433,608 B2
Fully steerable flexible curved-drilling robot device, system and method
Farshid Alambeigi, Austin, TX (US); and Yang Liu, Austin, TX (US)
Assigned to Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, Austin, TX (US)
Appl. No. 18/681,266
Filed by Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, Austin, TX (US)
PCT Filed Aug. 19, 2022, PCT No. PCT/US2022/075192
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Feb. 5, 2024,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/023634, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 23, 2023.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/234,889, filed on Aug. 19, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0341775 A1, Oct. 17, 2024
Int. Cl. A61B 17/16 (2006.01); A61B 34/10 (2016.01); A61B 34/30 (2016.01)
CPC A61B 17/1631 (2013.01) [A61B 17/1615 (2013.01); A61B 17/1626 (2013.01); A61B 17/1628 (2013.01); A61B 34/10 (2016.02); A61B 34/30 (2016.02); A61B 2034/105 (2016.02)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A fully steerable flexible curved drilling robot device, comprising:
a first flexible tube including a proximal end, a distal end, and a concentric through hole centered on a longitudinal axis extending from the proximal end to the distal end;
a second flexible tube including a proximal end, a distal end, and an eccentric through hole extending from the proximal end to the distal end, wherein the second flexible tube is positioned in the concentric though hole of the first flexible tube, and configured to move translationally along the longitudinal axis and rotationally about the longitudinal axis; and
a drill bit connected via a bearing to a flexible drive shaft, the drill bit positioned at the distal end of the first flexible tube, and wherein the flexible drive shaft extends through the eccentric through hole of the second flexible tube and is configured to provide a rotational torque to the drill bit.