IntuBot: Design and Prototyping of a Robotic Intubation Device

Abstract

Endotracheal intubation is one of the most common procedures performed worldwide in emergency departments and operating rooms. It is a highly complicated procedure susceptible to failure. This paper presents a robotic prototype, called IntuBot, designed to automate this procedure. The hardware system consists of a stepper motor to steer the stylet in forward and backward motions and two servo motors to generate bending at the stylet tip to navigate through a patient's airway. A real-time vision-based navigation algorithm is also presented to guide the stylet to localize the vocal cords, which is the tubes ultimate target. For pre-clinical testing, we 3D printed and then molded a silicone model of the airway from the mouth to the vocal cords based on a series of actual CT scan images. The prototype was tested for its steering capabilities.