Abstract: A manipulator including joint mechanisms each including: first and second members extending along a central axis; the second member disposed at a distal end of the first member and being swivelable relative to the first member about a swivel axis; a guide sheath extending near the central axis, a distal end of the guide sheath being fixed to the second member; a manipulation wire introduced toward the distal end of the guide sheath; and a pulley provided in the second member such that the manipulation wire is wound at least partially around the pulley to cause a distal end of the wire to change direction towards the first member, the pulley being rotatable about an axis parallel to the swivel axis; wherein the distal end of the manipulation wire is fixed to the first member near the inner surface of the through hole.

Abstract: A manipulator includes: an operating unit, and a bending assembly that is bent by operation of the operating unit, wherein: the bending assembly includes: a first link member having a first arc portion, a second link member having a second arc portion, an intermediate link member that includes a first intermediate arc portion and a second intermediate arc portion in opposition to the first intermediate arc portion, and is mounted between the first link member and the second link member.

Abstract: A medical manipulator includes an insertion portion, an arm portion, a light irradiation section irradiating a luminous flux having an optical axis parallel to an arm axial line, an imaging section imaging a locus of an optical image, a rotational movement portion rotating the arm portion around a reference axial line, and an initialization control unit performing initialization control to aligning the arm portion with the reference axial line, in which the initialization control unit includes: a locus acquisition control section controlling the light irradiation section, the rotational movement portion, and the imaging section to acquire a locus of the luminous flux, a convergence determination section computing a diameter of the locus and determines whether or not the diameter of the locus has converged, a driving amount correction section obtaining a driving amount of the first redundant joint and performs driving, and a convergence operation control section.

Abstract: A medical device includes an insertion portion, and a driving mechanism coupled to the insertion portion, wherein the insertion portion includes a treatment portion configured to perform a treatment on a target portion, a joint portion capable of supporting the treatment portion and changing a direction of the treatment portion, a storage portion provided in the joint portion and capable of internally accommodating the treatment portion, and a driving force transmission portion connected to the joint portion and configured to transmit a driving force for changing the direction of the treatment portion to the joint portion, wherein the driving mechanism includes a driving force generation portion configured to generate the driving force, and wherein the treatment portion enters and exits the storage portion by the driving force transmitted from the driving force generation portion to the joint portion through the driving force transmission portion.

Abstract: Provided is a medical manipulator system including: a manipulator including an end effector configured to treat a patient and a driver configured to drive the end effector; an operation input unit configured to generate an operation command for the manipulator; a storage configured to store a history information of each operator; and a controller comprising one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to: receive identification information of an operator by inputting of the operation input unit; get the history information of the operator from the storage based on the identification information; estimate a skill of the operator based on the history information; set a maximum operating speed of the manipulator and/or an operating range of the manipulator in proportion to the skill; qualify the operation command based on the maximum operating speed and/or the operating range; and control the driver based on the qualified operation command.

Abstract: To keep a clean area separated from an unclean area, a drape unit for separating the manipulator that has a treatment section at a distal end of an elongated section and that has at a proximal end a proximal-end drive unit from the base including, on a substantially horizontal top surface, a drive source to which the proximal-end drive unit is detachably connected, the drape unit includes: a drape main body that has an opening from which the drive source is exposed; and an adaptor that is interposed between the drive source and the proximal-end drive unit, that is disposed with a gap vertically above the opening, and that covers the entire opening, the adaptor includes a force transmission unit for transmitting the driving force from the drive source to the proximal-end drive unit.

Abstract: A medical manipulator system including: a medical manipulator having a joint; an operating section having an operating system; and a control unit controlling the medical manipulator according to an operation applied to the operating section. The operating section includes a switch enters or releases a command. The control unit determines whether a deviation between the joint and the operating system exceeds a threshold while the command is entered, carries out a first motion for moving the joint by a displacement corresponding to the displacement of the operating system if the deviation is equal to or smaller than the threshold, carries out a second motion for approaching the joint to the operating system angle if the deviation exceeds the threshold, and stops the motion for approaching the joint to the operating system angle when the command is released when the deviation exceeds the threshold.

Abstract: A medical manipulator includes: an insertion section having a main movable section and a distal end rigid section; a manipulator at which a treatment section is provided; an auxiliary movable section configured to move the treatment section; an imaging section configured to acquire an image in a field-of-vision range; a manipulation unit configured to output an instruction that specifies a position to which the treatment section is moved; a display configured to display the image; a determination unit configured to determine whether a condition is a partial movement condition or an entire movement condition when the determination unit receives the instruction; and a driving unit configured to drive the auxiliary movable section, the main movable section, and the imaging section based on determination of the determination unit.

Abstract: A flexible-manipulator guide member is provided in an inserted portion of a flexible manipulator including the elongated flexible inserted portion, the movable portion disposed at the distal end of the inserted portion, a drive portion disposed at the base end of the inserted portion, and the elongated driving-force transmitting member that transmits motive power of the drive portion to the movable portion, and is provided with a lumen through which the driving-force transmitting member passes in the longitudinal direction, wherein the lumen has a twisted shape about the longitudinal axis of the inserted portion.

Abstract: A medical-information providing system includes an electronic medical record system configured to accumulate medical-record information about patients; a medical device system configured to accumulate operation logs of medical devices; and a computer configured to provide medical-activity-related information from the medical-record information and the operation logs.

Abstract: Provided is a wire driving device including: wires one ends of which are attached to a movable member; pulleys to which the other ends of the individual wires are secured; driven gears that are coaxially secured to the individual pulleys; a drive gear that is connected to a driving source; and movable gears that are disposed between the drive gear and the individual driven gears and that can transmit the motive power of the driving source to the driven gears from the drive gear. The movable gears are provided in a movable manner so that the movable gears engage with the drive gear and the driven gears when the drive gear is rotated in a direction, and so that the engagements of the movable gears with at least one of the drive gear and the driven gears are released when the drive gear is rotated in the other direction.

Abstract: Provided is a surgical manipulator system including: a manipulator provided with a treatment tool having at least one joint and a drive portion that is attached to the treatment tool to drive the treatment tool; a manipulation input portion with which manipulation for causing, by driving the drive portion, the treatment tool to perform a desired operation is input; and a control portion that controls the drive portion on the basis of the manipulation that has been input via the manipulation input portion, wherein the treatment tool is provided with an identification-information retaining portion that retains identification information of the treatment tool, the manipulation input portion is provided with a manipulation-side reading portion that performs short-distance communication with the identification-information retaining portion, thus reading the identification information of the treatment tool, and the control portion controls the drive portion based on the read identification information of the treatm

Abstract: A medical manipulator includes a treatment part; a joint part that is provided at an end of the treatment part and configured to be operated through turning of a rotating body; an elongated member that has a longitudinal axis and is connected to the end of the joint part opposite to a side where the end effector is provided; a driving part that is provided on a proximal side of the elongated member and is configured to supply a driving force for operating the second coupling member or the like; a driving wire member that is connected at least to the second coupling member of the joint part and is stretched between the second coupling member and the elongated member; and a wire relaxation mechanism that is configured to relax the driving wire by changing the path length of the driving wire.

Abstract: An operation support device includes a manipulation input unit and an operating section to which a surgical instrument is attached and which operates the surgical instrument. The surgical instrument includes a treatment section, a flexible insertion section, and a manipulation section which is fixed to the flexible insertion section. The manipulation input unit further includes a detection body which is attached to the manipulation section, and a detecting device which detects the detection body. The detecting device calculates information which is capable of specifying a position and/or an orientation of the detection body. On the basis of the information which is calculated by the detecting device, a control device controls an operation of the surgical instrument by outputting to the operating section an order of moving the surgical instrument as a manipulation order.

Abstract: A manipulator and a manipulator system adjust the initial tension easily yet unerringly during assembling. The manipulator includes a main unit, an elongated portion that extends from the main unit, a distal end that is connected to the elongated portion, a wire for transmission of power for putting the distal end into actuation, a drive unit for generation of power to the wire, a rotary unit which is located in the main unit, around which the wire is wound and which is rotated by the drive unit, and an elastic unit for connecting the wire to the rotary unit.

Abstract: A flexible-manipulator guide member is provided in an inserted portion of a flexible manipulator including the elongated flexible inserted portion, the movable portion disposed at the distal end of the inserted portion, a drive portion disposed at the base end of the inserted portion, and the elongated driving-force transmitting member that transmits motive power of the drive portion to the movable portion, and is provided with a lumen through which the driving-force transmitting member passes in the longitudinal direction, wherein the lumen has a twisted shape about the longitudinal axis of the inserted portion.

Abstract: The slack correction mechanism includes a distal-end pulley that is rotatable with respect to a given axis, a distal-end wire wound around the distal-end pulley, a first supporting part including a first base, a first friction portion around which the distal-end wire is looped on one side and a first biasing portion that biases the distal-end wire in a pulling direction on one end side with respect to the first friction portion, the first supporting part being adapted to support one side of the distal-end wire, and a second supporting part including a second base, a second friction portion around which the distal-end wire is looped on the other side and a second biasing portion that biases the distal-end wire in a pulling direction on the other side with respect to the second friction portion, the second supporting part being adapted to support the other side of the distal-end wire.

Abstract: In order to improve work efficiency of inserting manipulators into proximal ends of an over tube, a medical manipulator system includes: manipulators having, at the proximal ends, proximal-end driving parts; an over tube having channels through which the manipulators pass; and a base provided with support parts to which proximal end parts of the over tube are attached, and driving sources that supply driving force to the proximal-end driving parts, wherein each support part includes a movable part movable between a first position where the longitudinal axis of the proximal end part is supported horizontally and a second position where the proximal end is supported at a further position from the top surface, and an urging part that moves the movable part to the second position during the proximal-end driving part is not connected to the driving source.

Abstract: A manipulator system includes a medical instrument which is capable of being inserted into a body; a manipulator which is capable of holding the instrument; a holding detector which detects a holding state where the manipulator holds the instrument; an instruction-receiving part which detects an instruction for operating the instrument; and a controller which operates the instrument only in a case where the instruction-receiving part detects the instruction when the holding detector detects the holding state.

Abstract: Provided is a wire driving device including: wires one ends of which are attached to a movable member; pulleys to which the other ends of the individual wires are secured; driven gears that are coaxially secured to the individual pulleys; a drive gear that is connected to a driving source; and movable gears that are disposed between the drive gear and the individual driven gears and that can transmit the motive power of the driving source to the driven gears from the drive gear. The movable gears are provided in a movable manner so that the movable gears engage with the drive gear and the driven gears when the drive gear is rotated in a direction, and so that the engagements of the movable gears with at least one of the drive gear and the driven gears are released when the drive gear is rotated in the other direction.