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The problem of dynamic locomotion over rough terrain requires both accurate foot placement together with an emphasis on dynamic stability. Existing approaches to this problem prioritize immediate safe foot placement over longer term dynamic…

Established surgical navigation systems for pedicle screw placement have been proven to be accurate, but still reveal limitations in registration or surgical guidance. Registration of preoperative data to the intraoperative anatomy remains…

Rehabilitation robotics continues to confront substantial challenges, particularly in achieving smooth, safe, and intuitive human-robot interactions for upper limb motor training. Many current systems depend on complex mechanical designs,…

Snakes are a remarkable evolutionary success story. Many snake-inspired robots have been proposed over the years. Soft robotic snakes (SRS) with their continuous and smooth bending capability better mimic their biological counterparts'…

Motion planning for robotic manipulators is a fundamental problem in robotics. Classical optimization-based methods typically rely on the gradients of signed distance fields (SDFs) to impose collision-avoidance constraints. However, these…

In some surgical operations targeting the spine, it is required to drill cavities in the vertebrae for the insertion of pedicle screws. A new mechanical architecture is proposed for this application. It is based on an augmented version of…

This article presents a motion planning and control framework for flexible robotic manipulators, integrating deep reinforcement learning (DRL) with a nonlinear partial differential equation (PDE) controller. Unlike conventional approaches…

Robot pose estimation is a challenging and crucial task for vision-based surgical robotic automation. Typical robotic calibration approaches, however, are not applicable to surgical robots, such as the da Vinci Research Kit (dVRK), due to…

Background: Trans-spinal FUS (tsFUS) has recently been shown promise in modulating spinal reflexes in rodents, opening new avenues for spinal cord interventions in motor control and pain management. However, anatomical differences between…

Navigation and inspection in confined environments, such as tunnels and pipes, pose significant challenges for existing robots due to limitations in maneuverability and adaptability to varying geometries. Vine robots, which are soft growing…

Assistive robots for healthcare have seen a growing demand due to the great potential of relieving medical practitioners from routine jobs. In this paper, we investigate the development of an optimization-based control framework for an…

This paper presents aims at mobility improvement of flexible underwater robots. For this purpose, a novel propulsion method using planar structural vibration pattern is proposed, and tested on two kinds of prototypes. The result of…

The automation of robotic tasks requires high precision and adaptability, particularly in force-based operations such as insertions. Traditional learning-based approaches either rely on static datasets, which limit their ability to…

Exploration of confined spaces, such as pipelines and ducts, remains challenging for conventional rigid robots due to limited space, irregular geometry, and restricted access. Inspired by caterpillar locomotion and sensing, this paper…

State estimation of nonlinear dynamical systems has long aimed to balance accuracy, computational efficiency, robustness, and reliability. The rapid evolution of various industries has amplified the demand for estimation frameworks that…

Accurate matching of pedicle screws in both anteroposterior (AP) and lateral (LAT) images is critical for successful spinal decompression and stabilization during surgery. However, establishing screw correspondence, especially in LAT views,…

Grasping is an essential capability for most robots in practical applications. Soft robotic grippers are considered as a critical part of robotic grasping and have attracted considerable attention in terms of the advantages of the high…

This paper introduces a novel variable stiffness mechanism termed Helically Wound Structured Electrostatic Layer Jamming (HWS-ELJ) and systematically investigates its potential applications in variable stiffness robotic finger design. The…

Stokesian Dynamics (SD) is a powerful computational framework for simulating the motion of particles in a viscous Newtonian fluid under Stokes-flow conditions. Traditional SD implementations can be computationally expensive as they rely on…

Shape manipulation is a central research topic in computer graphics. Topology editing, such as breaking apart connections, joining disconnected ends, and filling/opening a topological hole, is generally more challenging than geometry…