Tips of steerable minimally invasive surgical (MIS) instruments come in numerous configurations when it comes to the joints used for enabling and transferring rotational motion. Even though previous reviews of steerable MIS instruments were carried out, they focus mainly on actuation, Catherine et al. [1]; control principles, Fan et al. [2]; or robotics and MEMS, Cepolina and Michelini [3]. Therefore, the primary objective of this literature review is to provide a comprehensive overview and clear classification of steerable MIS instruments with respect to the fundamental mechanical design and working principles of their tip articulations. Such a classification would serve to better understand the essence of the state-of-the-art steerable constructions, thereby helping to establish a set of design guidelines for the next generations of steerable minimally invasive surgical instruments.
For simplicity and clear focus of this review, the literature search is based purely on mechanical...
