A bio-inspired expandable soft suction gripper for minimal invasive surgery-an explorative design study

Gripping slippery and flexible tissues during minimal invasive surgery (MIS) is often challenging using a conventional tissue gripper. A force grip has to compensate for the low friction coefficient between the gripper's jaws and the tissue surface. This study focuses on the development of a suction gripper. This device applies a pressure difference to grip the target tissue without the need to enclose it. Inspiration is taken from biological suction discs, as these are able to attach to a wide variety of substrates, varying from soft and slimy surfaces to rigid and rough rocks. Our bio-inspired suction gripper is divided into two main parts: (1) the suction chamber inside the handle where vacuum pressure is generated, and (2) the suction tip that attaches to the target tissue. The suction gripper fits through a null