Publications by Alice Tonazzini

STEERABLE CATHETER WITH PORTIONS OF DIFFERENT STIFFNESS

A steerable catheter (10) comprises portions (100, 105) of different stiffness, having a proximal end (11), a distal end, a lumen extending there between, at least one magnet (20) at the proximal end (11), at least a magnetic field to influence the proxima ...

2019

A Magnetic Continuum Device with Variable Stiffness for Minimally Invasive Surgery

Dario Floreano, Alice Tonazzini

One of the challenges of minimally invasive surgery is the dexterous manipulation and precise control of small diameter continuum surgical instruments. In this paper, a magnetic continuum device with variable stiffness (VS) is presented, whose tip can be p ...

2019

Variable stiffness strip with strain sensing for wearable robotics

Dario Floreano, Stefano Mintchev, Jun Shintake, Vivek Ramachandran, Carine Rognon, Alice Tonazzini

Variable stiffness technologies help to solve the conflicting requirements of strength, comfort, and safety in soft exoskeletons. Here, we propose a modular variable stiffness strip based on layer jamming as a mechanical solution to constrain users' degree ...

2018

Variable Stiffness Device and Method of Manufacturing the Same

Dario Floreano, Stefano Mintchev, Alice Tonazzini

A variable stiffness device, including a core including a low melting point alloy, an encapsulation surrounding the core, the encapsulation made of an elastic material and sealing the core, and a heating device arranged around the encapsulation, configured ...

2017

A Variable Stiffness Catheter Controlled with an External Magnetic Field

Dario Floreano, Alice Tonazzini

Remote magnetic navigation of catheters is a technique used to perform radiofrequency ablation of heart tissue in order to treat cardiac arrhythmias. The flexible magnetic catheters used in this context are in some cases not sufficiently dexterous to navig ...

IEEE2017

Variable Stiffness Fiber with Self-Healing Capability

Dario Floreano, Stefano Mintchev, Jun Shintake, Alice Tonazzini

A variable stiffness fiber made of silicone and low melting point alloys quickly becomes >700 times softer and >400 times more deformable when heated above 62 °C. It shows remarkable self-healing properties and can be clamped, knitted, and bonded, as shown ...

Wiley-V C H Verlag Gmbh2016