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Machines
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10th Anniversary of Machines—Feature Papers in Medical Robotics and Sensing
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10th Anniversary of Machines—Feature Papers in Medical Robotics and Sensing

A special issue of Machines (ISSN 2075-1702). This special issue belongs to the section "Bioengineering Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 9748

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Hongliang Ren

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Electronic Engineering Department, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong 999077, China
2. Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117576, Singapore
Interests: biomedical robotics and intelligent machines; continuum actuators and machines; soft flexible actuators and sensors; medical mechatronics; multisensory perception for actuations; learning and control in image-guided procedures; deployable motion generation; actuator compliance modulation/sensing; cooperative and context-aware sensors/actuators/machines in human environments
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Changsheng Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: surgical robotics and navigation; human-robot interaction and intelligent control; mechanical design and system integration
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

New robotic and sensing technologies have led to significant advances in medicine in recent decades. We invite paper submissions on the emerging research and technologies of medical robotics, medical sensing, smart co-robotics, and medical scene understanding by artificial intelligence. Particularly, the main areas of interest include biorobotics, intelligent systems, medical mechatronics, continuum and soft flexible robots and sensors, multisensory perception, learning and control in image-guided procedures, deployable motion generation, compliance modulation/sensing, cooperative and context-aware sensors/actuators in human environments, robotic surgery, robotic assistance in various human-interactive scenarios, flexible robotics, and machine artificial intelligence.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Machine learning and cognitive surgical robotics;
  • Physical human–robot compliant interaction;
  • Human–robot intelligent collaboration and shared control;
  • Design, modeling, and control of continuum medical robotics;
  • Variable stiffness robotic systems;
  • Tactile and haptic feedback in robotics;
  • Flexible robotics in surgery;
  • Intra-operative imaging for robotic-assisted medicine;
  • Augmented reality in robotic surgery;
  • Multi sensorized and data-driven robotic system in medicine.

Prof. Dr. Hongliang Ren
Prof. Dr. Changsheng Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Machines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biorobotics and intelligent systems
  • medical mechatronics
  • continuum and soft flexible robots and sensors
  • multisensory perception
  • learning and control in image-guided procedures
  • deployable motion generation
  • compliance modulation/sensing
  • cooperative and context-aware sensors/actuators in human environments
  • robotic surgery
  • flexible robotics
  • machine artificial intelligence

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 4939 KiB  
Article
Improving the Force Display of Haptic Device Based on Gravity Compensation for Surgical Robotics
by Lixing Jin, Xingguang Duan, Rui He, Fansheng Meng and Changsheng Li
Machines 2022, 10(10), 903; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/machines10100903 - 07 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1625
Abstract
Haptic devices are applied as masters to provide force displays for telemedicinal robots. Gravity compensation has been proven to be crucial for the accuracy and capability of force displays, which are critical for haptic devices to assist operators. Therefore, the existing method suffers [...] Read more.
Haptic devices are applied as masters to provide force displays for telemedicinal robots. Gravity compensation has been proven to be crucial for the accuracy and capability of force displays, which are critical for haptic devices to assist operators. Therefore, the existing method suffers from an unsatisfactory effect, a complex implementation, and low efficiency. In this paper, an approach combining active and passive gravity compensation is proposed to improve the performance of a force display. The passive compensation is conducted by counterweights fixed with the moving platform and pantographs to offset most of the gravity and reduce the loads of the motors, while the peak capability of the force display is enhanced. The required weight is optimized by a multi-objective genetic algorithm in terms of the maximum torque of the motors in the global workspace. As a supplement, the residual gravity is eliminated by active compensation to extend the accuracy of the force display. The balancing forces in the discretized workspace are entirely calibrated, and the required force for the arbitrary configuration is calculated by interpolations. The decisions regarding the algorithm parameters are also discussed to achieve a compromise between the effect and elapsed time. Finally, the prototype with a compensation mechanism is implemented and experiments are carried out to verify the performance of the proposed method. The results show that the peak capability of the force display is enhanced by 45.43% and the maximum deviation is lowered to 0.6 N. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Machines—Feature Papers in Medical Robotics and Sensing)
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17 pages, 5302 KiB  
Article
Curvature Correction of a Notched Continuum Robot Based on a Static Model Considering Large Deformation and Friction Effect
by Jiaxing Liu, Sibo Shang, Gang Zhang, Shaowei Xue, Hao Cheng, Peng Qi and Fuxin Du
Machines 2022, 10(9), 778; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/machines10090778 - 07 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1858
Abstract
Continuum robots are often used as wrist joints in medical robots because of their high dexterity and flexibility. Especially, the notched continuum robot (NCR) is used in the miniaturized wristed surgical robot. The Piecewise Constant Curvature (PCC) assumption is often used in the [...] Read more.
Continuum robots are often used as wrist joints in medical robots because of their high dexterity and flexibility. Especially, the notched continuum robot (NCR) is used in the miniaturized wristed surgical robot. The Piecewise Constant Curvature (PCC) assumption is often used in the design of NCR. However, due to the friction effect, ideal PCC is difficult to achieve. Static analysis is a necessary means to correct the curvature of NCR. The static modeling of NCR is often based on the theory of small deformation. However, this cannot obtain accurate solutions at large bending angles. In this paper, a static model of a triangular-notched continuum robot is proposed. It presents a curvature correction method of NCR, considering large deformation. In addition, the friction effect is considered in the correction of PCC. The static model is derived from the end notch. Based on the Coulomb friction model, the recurrence relationship of the force on the cable is obtained. Then the elliptic integral solution corresponding to the large deformation assumption is calculated. The deformation parameters of the NCR are obtained by numerical iteration. Finally, the capability and validity of the static model proposed in this paper are verified in the experiment. This paper is of great significance for establishing an accurate static model for curvature correction and design of the notched continuum robot. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Machines—Feature Papers in Medical Robotics and Sensing)
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20 pages, 8806 KiB  
Article
Magnetic Anchoring Considerations for Retractors Supporting Manual and Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery
by Illés Nigicser, Matthew Oldfield and Tamás Haidegger
Machines 2022, 10(9), 745; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/machines10090745 - 29 Aug 2022
Viewed by 2034
Abstract
The rise and advancement of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has significantly improved patient outcomes, yet its technical challenges—such as tissue manipulation and tissue retraction—are not yet overcome. Robotic surgery offers some compensation for the ergonomic challenges, as retraction typically requires an extra robotic [...] Read more.
The rise and advancement of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has significantly improved patient outcomes, yet its technical challenges—such as tissue manipulation and tissue retraction—are not yet overcome. Robotic surgery offers some compensation for the ergonomic challenges, as retraction typically requires an extra robotic arm, which makes the complete system more costly. Our research aimed to explore the potential of rapidly deployable structures for soft tissue actuation and retraction, developing clinical and technical requirements and putting forward a critically evaluated concept design. With systematic measurements, we aimed to assess the load capacities and force tolerance of different magnetic constructions. Experimental and simulation work was conducted on the magnetic coupling technology to investigate the conditions where the clinically required lifting force of 11.25 N could be achieved for liver retraction. Various structure designs were investigated and tested with N52 neodymium magnets to create stable mechanisms for tissue retraction. The simplified design of a new MIS laparoscopic instrument was developed, including a deployable structure connecting the three internal rod magnets with joints and linkages that could act as an actuator for liver retraction. The deployable structure was designed to anchor strings or bands that could facilitate the lifting or sideways folding of the liver creating sufficient workspace for the target upper abdominal procedures. The critical analysis of the project concluded a notable potential of the developed solution for achieving improved liver retraction with minimal tissue damage and minimal distraction of the surgeon from the main focus of the operation, which could be beneficial, in principle, even at robot-assisted procedures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Machines—Feature Papers in Medical Robotics and Sensing)
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16 pages, 3603 KiB  
Article
Virtual and Real Bidirectional Driving System for the Synchronization of Manipulations in Robotic Joint Surgeries
by Yanding Qin, Mingqian Ma, Lin Shen, Hongpeng Wang and Jianda Han
Machines 2022, 10(7), 530; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/machines10070530 - 29 Jun 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1707
Abstract
Surgical robots are increasingly important in orthopedic surgeries to assist or replace surgeons in completing operations. During joint surgeries, the patient’s joint needs to be adjusted several times by the surgeon. Therefore, the virtual model, built on the preoperative medical images, cannot match [...] Read more.
Surgical robots are increasingly important in orthopedic surgeries to assist or replace surgeons in completing operations. During joint surgeries, the patient’s joint needs to be adjusted several times by the surgeon. Therefore, the virtual model, built on the preoperative medical images, cannot match the actual variation of the patient’s joint during the surgery. Conventional virtual reality techniques cannot fully satisfy the requirements of the joint surgeries. This paper proposes a real and virtual bidirectional driving method to synchronize the manipulations in both the real operation site and the virtual scene. The dynamic digital twin of the patient’s joint is obtained by decoupling the joint and dynamically updating its pose via the intraoperative measurements. During surgery, the surgeon can intuitively monitor the real-time position of the patient and the surgical tool through the system and can also manipulate the surgical robot in the virtual scene. In addition, the system can provide visual guidance to the surgeon when the patient’s joint is adjusted. A prototype system is developed for orthopedic surgeries. Proof-of-concept joint surgery demo is carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Experimental results show that the proposed system can synchronize the manipulations in both the real operation site and the virtual scene, thus realizing the bidirectional driving. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Machines—Feature Papers in Medical Robotics and Sensing)
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15 pages, 4848 KiB  
Article
A Computer-Assisted Preoperative Path Planning Method for the Parallel Orthopedic Robot
by Jian Li, Rui Cui, Peng Su, Lifang Ma and Hao Sun
Machines 2022, 10(6), 480; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/machines10060480 - 15 Jun 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1610
Abstract
Background: Trajectory planning is the premise of the control of orthopedic robots, which is directly related to the safety of the human body. However, to date, the trajectory of orthopedic robots has been restricted to lines and spline curves. This limits the flexibility [...] Read more.
Background: Trajectory planning is the premise of the control of orthopedic robots, which is directly related to the safety of the human body. However, to date, the trajectory of orthopedic robots has been restricted to lines and spline curves. This limits the flexibility of the robot and leads to unsatisfactory performance. In this paper, a trajectory planning method based on improved RRT* and B-spline curve is proposed in order to improve the control accuracy and flexibility. Method: Firstly, combined with the shortcomings of current trajectory planning methods and bone docking task analysis, the characteristics of the trajectory for orthopedic robot are illustrated, and the problem is described. Secondly, a sampling strategy and an extension strategy are proposed to solve the optimal problem of the RRT* algorithm. Meanwhile, B-spline curve is selected for path smoothing. Thirdly, based on our orthopedic robot, kinematics analysis is introduced briefly, and hypotonic polynomial is used to fit the joint variables. Finally, a comparative study of the improved RRT*, RRT*, and other algorithms are completed, and the feasibility of the robot’s trajectory is verified by algorithm simulation and platform simulation. Results: Compared with RRT*, shorter path and high node utilization are shown in the improved RRT*, which cut down about 1mm in the average path length and increased about half in the average node utilization. In the meantime, the fitting results are accepted, and the results of algorithm simulation and platform simulation showed good consistency and feasibility. Conclusions: This study revealed that the improved RRT* was superior to RRT*, and the proposed method could be used for the trajectory planning of parallel orthopedic robots, which has some significance for bone fracture and deformity correction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Machines—Feature Papers in Medical Robotics and Sensing)
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