Robotic module for driving an elongate flexible medical member

A robotic module for driving an elongate flexible medical member, comprising:

• a pair of movable drive members alternately positionable in i) a drive configuration in which the drive members are sufficiently close together to drive the elongate flexible medical member and ii) a free configuration in which the drive members are sufficiently far apart so as not to drive the elongate flexible medical member;
• a control member that controls, in a repeated cyclic manner, a forward movement of the drive members into the drive configuration in which the elongate flexible medical member is driven, and a reverse movement of the drive members into the free configuration in which the elongate flexible medical member is not driven;
• a stress sensor structured and arranged to measure stress exerted by the elongate flexible medical member on at least one of the drive members;
• a user interface linked to the stress sensor so as to receive the measured stress from the stress sensor, and configured to provide a signal representative of the measured stress to a user of the robotic module;
• and
• actuators arranged to transmit movements in respective spatial directions toward each drive member by way of reversible transmission mechanisms, each one of said reversible transmission mechanisms configured such that:
• if an actuator of said actuators makes a first movement to transmit a force to a drive member of said drive members which then performs a second movement, and if the drive member performs the second movement due to momentum from other than the actuator, the actuator is caused to perform the first movement,
• wherein said stress sensor indirectly measures the stress exerted by the elongate flexible medical member on at least one of the drive members, and
• wherein said stress sensor measures the current consumed by said at least one of the drive members.