  Endovascular technique has many advantages but relies strongly on operator
skills and experience. Robotically steerable catheters have been developed but
few are clinically available. We describe here the development of an active and
efficient catheter based on Shape Memory Alloys (SMA) actuators. We first
establish the specifications of our device considering anatomical constraints.
We then present a new method for building active SMA-based catheters. The
proposed method relies on the use of a core body made of three parallel
metallic beams and integrates wire-shaped SMA actuators. The complete device is
encapsulated into a standard 6F catheter for safety purposes. A trial-error
campaign comparing 70 different prototypes is then conducted to determine the
best dimensions of the core structure and of the SMA actuators with respect to
the imposed specifications. The final prototype is tested on a silicon-based
arterial model and on a 23-kg pig. During these experiments we were able to
cannulate the supra-aortic trunks and the renal arteries with different
angulations and without any complication.
