NSF I-Corps Proposal: Elongated Instrument Cleaner

该I-Corps项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是改进腹腔镜手术的仪器。在手术过程中，内窥镜视力可能受损，需要从身体中取出内窥镜，这在经济和医疗上都是不利的。我们的技术通过提供清洁机制，帮助减轻从体内取出内窥镜的需求。该技术的商业潜力在现阶段似乎是有效的，有广泛的机会来满足既定的市场需求。这个I-Corps项目的重点是一种技术，可以被描绘成一个管，轴，或长的手臂与一个在其尖端的机器人。其主要用途是作为细长器械远端的清洁机构。该技术的知识价值允许探索细长器械周围的清洁技术应用，特别是在医疗领域。在这个阶段，概念验证已经通过显示可接受性能的功能原型进行了证明。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is improvements in instrumentation for laparoscopic surgery. During surgery, scope vision may become impaired, requiring scope removal from the body and economic and medical disadvantages. Our technology helps mitigate the need of scope removal from the body by providing a cleaning mechanism. The commercial potential for this technology appears valid at this stage, with broad opportunity to address an established market need.This I-Corps project focuses on a technology that can be pictured as a tube, shaft, or long arm with a squeegee at its tip. Its main purpose is to serve as a cleaning mechanism for the far end of an elongated instrument. The intellectual merit of this technology allows for the exploration of cleaning technology application surrounding elongated instruments, with particular opportunity in the medical field. At this stage, proof of concept has been demonstrated with functional prototypes that show acceptable performance. There is particular use for applications where the elongated instrument is constrained within a narrow and/or deep cavity.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.