Olympus Corporation

Tomohiro Kitanaka

Takeshi Takahashi

Ryo Tezuka

Tomoyuki Kugo

A variable-rigidity device includes a tubular member including a plurality of high-rigidity portions and low-rigidity portions arranged along a longitudinal axis, a core member arranged on an inner side of the tubular member and including a plurality of high-rigidity core portions and low-rigidity core portions; and an actuator configured to relatively move the core member with respect to the tubular member, in which the actuator is configured to cause a first force to repeatedly fluctuate with a passage of time, the first force causing the core member to relatively move with respect to the tubular member in an axial direction along the longitudinal axis.

Variable-rigidity device, control device, and method for controlling actuator

A flexible tube insertion apparatus includes a flexible tube to be inserted into a tract, a shape calculation system configured to calculate a shape of the flexible tube, and a bend detection unit configured to detect formation of first and second bend portions in the flexible tube, based on information of the calculated shape of the flexible tube. The apparatus also includes a positional relationship calculation unit configured to calculate a three-dimensional positional relationship expressed by a crossing angle between first and second imaginary planes respectively passing through the first and second bend portions, and a stiffness control system configured to control a stiffness of the flexible tube, based on the three-dimensional positional relationship.

Flexible tube insertion apparatus, insertion control apparatus, and insertion control method

A variable stiffness device includes a first elongated member in a hollow shape extending along a longitudinal axis, and a second elongated member including a heater, disposed inside an inner circumference of the first elongated member, and extending in parallel to the first elongated member along the longitudinal axis. The first elongated member includes a high bending stiffness portion and a low bending stiffness portion alternately aligned along the longitudinal axis. One of the first elongated member and the second elongated member includes a shape-memory pipe. The heater extends through an inner space of the shape-memory pipe and configured to heat the shape-memory pipe to increase stiffness of the shape-memory pipe.

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Higashimurayama, Japan

Tomohiro Kitanaka