Interaction-aware dexterous robot for minimally invasive transcanal inner ear interventions

  • Nat Commun. 2026 Apr 24;17(1):5658. doi: 10.1038/s41467-026-72398-5.
Haiming Li  #  1 ,  Peiyuan Gao  #  1 ,  Haoyue Tan  #  2  3 ,  Haotian Li  1 ,  Haifeng Zhu  1 ,  Mengyuan Jiang  1 ,  Yuting Ni  4 ,  Yandi He  2  3 ,  Junhong Huang  5 ,  Yue Zhu  1 ,  Jiahui Yang  1 ,  Chunbo Wang  1 ,  Bin Liu  5 ,  Fuxin Du  6 ,  Yanhe Zhu  1 ,  Huijuan Dong  1 ,  He Zhang  7 ,  Tianxue Zhang  8 ,  Huan Jia  9  10 ,  Hao Wu  2  3 ,  Jie Zhao  1
Affiliations
  • 1. State Key Laboratory of Robotics and Systems, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China.
  • 2. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, China.
  • 3. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine on Ear and Nose Diseases, Shanghai, China.
  • 4. School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Beihang University, Beijing, China.
  • 5. School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, China.
  • 6. School of Mechanical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
  • 7. State Key Laboratory of Robotics and Systems, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China. [email protected].
  • 8. School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Beihang University, Beijing, China. [email protected].
  • 9. Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai, China. [email protected].
  • 10. Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine on Ear and Nose Diseases, Shanghai, China. [email protected].
  • # Contributed equally.
PMID: 42031753 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-72398-5
Abstract

Intracochlear theranostics, particularly targeted drug delivery and microsampling, offers a promising solution to inner ear diseases. However, specialized medical devices remain limited by a fundamental design challenge imposed by anatomical constraints: balancing miniaturization, dexterity, and perceptive functionality. Here, we present a low-aspect-ratio, dual-segment continuum robot that integrates catheter, endoscopic and instrumental functions. Driven by antagonistic cables, the robot uses a transition-free backbone composed of saddle-shaped joints to achieve a minimum bending radius of 1.9 mm. Dual-segment motion decoupling yields programmable C-/S-shaped configurations, facilitating anatomical navigation. The microneedle, embedded in the central channel, serves as an end-effector with positioning accuracy of 17.9 ± 4.1 μm. Fiber Bragg grating sensors, mounted on the needle, measure axial force to estimate tool-tissue interaction. Validation is performed on cadavers and in vivo Animals, demonstrating the feasibility of a transcanal, atraumatic robotic paradigm. Thus, this system provides a practical and accessible approach for early diagnosis and treatment, helping extend precision medicine to underserved areas.

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