A powered steerable system, a computer implemented method, and a computer program product for navigating an elongated surgical device through a bodily lumen of a patient

A powered steerable system for navigating an elongated surgical device having an outer tubular body and an elongated actuation element nested within the outer tubular body through a bodily lumen of a patient, the steerable system comprising:

• (a) an actuation unit configured to be coupled to the elongated actuation element for actuating the elongated actuation element;
• (b) an input interface which is configured for receiving an input specifying a deformed geometric shape of a bendable section at a distal end portion of the outer tubular body;
• (c) a control unit operatively coupled to the input interface and configured for generating a control command based on the input;
• and
• (d) an output interface operatively coupled to the control unit configured for transmitting the control command to the actuation unit, wherein
• the actuation unit is adapted to deform the bendable section to the deformed geometric shape based on the control command.

A computer implemented method for navigating an elongated surgical device having an outer tubular body and an elongated actuation element nested within the outer tubular body through a bodily lumen of a patient, the method comprising the steps:

• (a) receiving an input via an input interface specifying a desired geometric shape of a bendable section at a distal end portion of the outer tubular body;
• (b) calculating a control command based on the input via a control unit;
• (c) transmitting the control command to an actuation unit via an output interface;
• and
• (d) deflecting the bendable section to the desired geometric shape based on the control command.