With the maturity of surgical robotic systems based on traditional rigid-link principles, the rate
of progress slowed as limits of size and controllable degrees of freedom were reached …

This paper describes and discusses the history and state of the art of continuous backbone
robot manipulators. Also known as continuum manipulators, these robots, which resemble …

In this paper, we describe the state of the art in continuum robot manipulators and systems
intended for application to interventional medicine. Inspired by biological trunks, tentacles …

Methods and systems are described for controlling movement of a continuum robot that
includes a plurality of independently controlled segments along the length of the continuum …

Recent technological advances in surgery have resulted in the development of a range of
new techniques that have reduced patient trauma, shortened hospitalization, and improved …

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide high-quality 3-D visualization of target
anatomy, surrounding tissue, and instrumentation, but there are significant challenges in …

Continuum manipulators offer a means for robot manipulation in a constrained environment,
where the manipulator body can safely interact with, comply with, and navigate around …

Within only a few decades from its initial introduction, the field of surgical robotics has
evolved into a dynamic and rapidly growing research area with increasing clinical uptake …

Seven years ago, concentric tube robots were essentially unknown in robotics, yet today one
would be hard pressed to find a major medical robotics forum that does not include several …

Minimally invasive surgery has been one of the most significant evolutions in medicine. In
this approach, the surgeon inserts specially-designed instruments through a small incision …