Design of Z Axis Actuator and Quick Tool Change Assembly for an Endodontic Micro Robot

Although the technology of endodontic therapy (root canal treatment) had developed for many years, it is still operated by hands. A typical treatment procedure includes access preparation (opening crown with drills), root canal shaping and cleaning, and then root canal filling. This treatment is expensive, time-consuming, and prone to human error. The outcome relies on the clinician’s skill, which is gained through years of training and practice. The success quotient of this treatment is 60–65% for general dentists and 90% for specialists (endodontists). Therefore, an Advanced Endodontic Technology Development project was initiated. The goal of this project is to develop an intelligent micro robot and a computer aided treatment system to execute the endodontic treatment automatically. It is expected that this intelligent micro robot system will overcome the problems encountered in current treatment practice and increase the treatment accuracy and efficiency. This paper briefly describes the Advanced Endodontic Technology Development project followed by the design of the micro robot for the root canal treatment. The paper focuses on the design of the Z axis actuator to control the treatment tool’s motion and quick tool change assembly in the micro robot.Copyright © 2010 by ASME