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Purpose: In surgical navigation, pre-operative organ models are presented to surgeons during the intervention to help them in efficiently finding their target. In the case of soft tissue, these models need to be deformed and adapted to the…
This work presents a novel tactile perception-based method, named T-NT, for performing the needle-threading task, an application of deformable linear object (DLO) manipulation. This task is divided into two main stages: Tail-end Finding and…
Many robotic tasks are still teleoperated since automating them is very time consuming and expensive. Robot Learning from Demonstrations (RLfD) can reduce programming time and cost. However, conventional RLfD approaches are not directly…
Purpose Surgical simulations play an increasingly important role in surgeon education and developing algorithms that enable robots to perform surgical subtasks. To model anatomy, Finite Element Method (FEM) simulations have been held as the…
We present a tactile sensing method enabled by the mechanical compliance of soft robots; an externally attachable photoreflective module reads surface deformation of silicone skin to estimate contact force without embedding tactile…
We address the challenge of reliable and accurate proprioception in soft robots, specifically those with tight packaging constraints and relying only on internally embedded sensors. While various sensing approaches with single sensors have…
Response of the mechanoreceptors underlying the skin is greatly affected by its mechanical properties. Knowledge of this response is essential in designing artificial tactile devices such as minimally invasive tools and tactile displays.…
Cutting-edge smart materials are transforming the domains of soft robotics, actuators, and sensors by harnessing diverse non-mechanical stimuli, such as electric and magnetic fields. Accurately modelling their physical behaviour…
A biopsy is the only diagnostic procedure for accurate histological confirmation of breast cancer. When sonographic placement is not feasible, a Magnetic Resonance Imaging(MRI)-guided biopsy is often preferred. The lack of real-time imaging…
Providing force feedback as relevant information in current Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery systems constitutes a technological challenge due to the constraints imposed by the surgical environment. In this context, Sensorless…
Computed tomography (CT)-guided needle biopsies are critical for diagnosing a range of conditions, including lung cancer, but present challenges such as limited in-bore space, prolonged procedure times, and radiation exposure. Robotic…
Soft elastic composite materials containing particulate rigid inclusions in a soft elastic matrix are candidates for developing soft actuators or tunable damping devices. The possibility to reversibly drive the rigid inclusions within such…
Soft tissue elasticity is directly related to different stages of diseases and can be used for tissue identification during minimally invasive procedures. By palpating a tissue with a robot in a minimally invasive fashion force-displacement…
Deformable object manipulation is a classical and challenging research area in robotics. Compared with rigid object manipulation, this problem is more complex due to the deformation properties including elastic, plastic, and elastoplastic…
The realistic modelling of medical interventions is the key requirement for development of high-fidelity medical simulators. In this work, a parameterized model suitable for real-time haptic feedback of needle interaction with tissue has…
A fundamental challenge in retinal surgery is safely navigating a surgical tool to a desired goal position on the retinal surface while avoiding damage to surrounding tissues, a procedure that typically requires tens-of-microns accuracy. In…
Minimally invasive surgery presents challenges such as dynamic tissue motion and a limited field of view. Accurate tissue tracking has the potential to support surgical guidance, improve safety by helping avoid damage to sensitive…
Lymphedema is a condition of localized tissue swelling caused by a damaged lymphatic system. Therapy to these tissues is applied manually. Some of the methods are lymph drainage, compression therapy or bandaging. However, the therapy…
Accurate shape sensing, only achievable through distributed proprioception, is a key requirement for closed-loop control of soft robots. Low-cost power efficient optoelectronic sensors manufactured from flexible materials represent a…
Autonomy in robotic surgery is very challenging in unstructured environments, especially when interacting with deformable soft tissues. The main difficulty is to generate model-based control methods that account for deformation dynamics…