Issues and Design Concepts in Endoscopic Extenders

. Endoscopic surgery as a less invasive method of surgery, is more difficult to perform. The associated problems are visual issues, hand/tool's movement, and force/tactile sensing. To overcome some of these difficulties, in this paper new design concepts are reviewed and proposed such as tools with flexible stem, suturing device, positioning stand, and robotic endeffectors for master-slave systems. Key Words. Master-slave systems, Endoscopy, Endoscopic tools/equipments, Flexible stem graspers, Suturing/sewing devices. 1. Introduction Endoscopic surgery has been used widely in the past decade as an alternative to conventional open surgery and it is also gaining more grounds for other applications. This is due to many advantages such as: -- Shorter recovery time -- Decreased risk of infection -- Less pain/ trauma for the patient -- Reduction in hospital stay/cost Generally, endoscopic surgery is a less invasive method of surgery which is performed by long surgical tools and endoscopes t..