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Selected Papers from MESROB2025: 9th IFToMM International Workshop on New Trends in Medical and Service Robotics

A special issue of Robotics (ISSN 2218-6581). This special issue belongs to the section "Medical Robotics and Service Robotics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 6571

Editors

Prof. Dr. Med Amine Laribi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institut PPRIME, CNRS, Université de Poitiers, ISAE-ENSMA, UPR 3346, 86073 Poitiers, France
Interests: robotics; biomechanical engineering; rehabilitation; biomimicry; mechanical design; service robotics; human–robot collaboration; compliant joint
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Mehmet İsmet Can Dede

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Izmir Insitute of Technology, Izmir, Turkey
Interests: medical robotics; synthesis of spatial mechanisms; fault-tolerant system design

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The aim of the MESROB Workshop is to provide an international platform for researchers, engineers, and PhD students involved in the general field of medical and service robotics to exchange the latest research results and exchange views on future research directions in these areas. From the point of view of research and applications, medical and service robotics are enjoying a growing interest at the same time as the obvious growth of the market.

This Special Issue aims at exhibiting the latest research achievements, findings, and ideas in the areas of “Medical and Service Robotics”. The issue will contain, after a strict peer-review process, revised and extended versions of selected conference papers that were presented at the 9th IFToMM International Workshop on New Trends in Medical and Service Robotics (MESROB2025), with the objective of presenting cutting-edge contributions worthy of publication in an archival journal.

Prof. Dr. Med Amine Laribi
Prof. Dr. Mehmet İsmet Can Dede
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Robotics 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 1800 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

  • medical and service robotics
  • human-robot interaction
  • assistance devices
  • collaborative robots
  • rehabilitation robots
  • healthcare robots
  • human assistance robots

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 15730 KB  
Article
Gynecological Tendon-Driven Continuum Robots: Design and Experimentation
by Clara G. Kierbel and Matteo Russo
Robotics 2026, 15(7), 118; https://doi.org/10.3390/robotics15070118 - 25 Jun 2026
Viewed by 140
Abstract
Most gynecological interventions do not take advantage of the possible access through the natural orifice to the operating zone and/or use rigid tools, which leads to more invasive procedures. The purpose of this research is to reduce invasiveness by creating a natural orifice [...] Read more.
Most gynecological interventions do not take advantage of the possible access through the natural orifice to the operating zone and/or use rigid tools, which leads to more invasive procedures. The purpose of this research is to reduce invasiveness by creating a natural orifice endoscopic surgical tool. By analyzing the varied anatomies present in patients to extract functional requirements, we propose a conceptual design that allows for better navigation of the environment thanks to a custom design with active control over endoscope shape. We manufactured and tested this new design of a tendon-driven continuum robot in a phantom that is representative of the geometrical properties and variability of a uterus, validating its operation and functionality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from MESROB2025: 9th IFToMM International Workshop on New Trends in Medical and Service Robotics)
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15 pages, 4474 KB  
Article
A New 3R1T Parallel Robot for Minimally Invasive Surgery: Design, Control and Preliminary Performance Evaluation
by Aislinn McAleenan, Yinglun Jian, Yan Jin, Dan Sun and Johnny Moore
Robotics 2026, 15(5), 83; https://doi.org/10.3390/robotics15050083 - 22 Apr 2026
Viewed by 787
Abstract
Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has transformed modern surgical operations by reducing pain, trauma, scarring and recovery time for the patient. However, precision, stability and accuracy continue to limit surgical performance. Robots can exhibit better precision and stability than humans and have the potential [...] Read more.
Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) has transformed modern surgical operations by reducing pain, trauma, scarring and recovery time for the patient. However, precision, stability and accuracy continue to limit surgical performance. Robots can exhibit better precision and stability than humans and have the potential to improve MIS results. This work presents the design and development of a patented 3R1T parallel robot for MIS. The mechanism incorporates a coaxial spherical parallel architecture enabling three rotational degrees of freedom, combined with a remotely actuated translational fourth degree of freedom, therefore reducing the weight of the moving structure, decreasing inertial forces and increasing the system accuracy. The kinematic design is analyzed to achieve the required workspace, motor torque requirements are calculated, and a control system with integrated inverse kinematics is developed. A prototype was manufactured, and preliminary experiments were conducted to evaluate the orientation repeatability of the robot. Results demonstrated a repeatability of ±22.86 μm, commensurate with typical MIS constraints. This suggests that the proposed robot offers potential improvements in precision and control for minimally invasive surgical procedures, over traditional manual methods. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from MESROB2025: 9th IFToMM International Workshop on New Trends in Medical and Service Robotics)
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29 pages, 6180 KB  
Article
A Comparative Study of a Real-Time Ankle Mobility Monitoring Wearable System
by Giovanni Mastrangelo, Betsy Dayana Marcela Chaparro Rico, Matteo Russo, Marco Ceccarelli and Daniele Cafolla
Robotics 2026, 15(4), 76; https://doi.org/10.3390/robotics15040076 - 4 Apr 2026
Viewed by 762
Abstract
This paper presents a low-cost, lightweight wearable sensing module for real-time multi-degree-of-freedom motion analysis, which is validated using ankle movements from a representative case study. The system is based on a compact inertial measurement unit integrated into a custom-made enclosure and employs Kalman [...] Read more.
This paper presents a low-cost, lightweight wearable sensing module for real-time multi-degree-of-freedom motion analysis, which is validated using ankle movements from a representative case study. The system is based on a compact inertial measurement unit integrated into a custom-made enclosure and employs Kalman filter-based sensor fusion to estimate three-dimensional joint orientation. An experimental campaign involving sixteen healthy participants was conducted, and measurements were compared against a gold-standard optical motion capture system, Optitrack V120 Trio. Ankle kinematics were analysed across all anatomical planes, including dorsiflexion/plantarflexion, inversion/eversion, and adduction/abduction. Quantitative metrics, including cosine similarity consistently above 0.98 across all movements and root mean square error within 4° on average, demonstrate strong agreement between the angular measuring device and motion capture data, with errors remaining within clinically acceptable limits. The results confirm the feasibility of the proposed system as a reliable, portable, and affordable alternative to laboratory-based measurement technologies. Beyond ankle assessment, the sensing approach is applicable to a wide range of motion-assistive and rehabilitation systems, supporting continuous monitoring, personalised therapy, and future integration into intelligent wearable devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from MESROB2025: 9th IFToMM International Workshop on New Trends in Medical and Service Robotics)
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34 pages, 10695 KB  
Article
Modeling of a 4-DOF Flexible Laparoscopic Instrument for Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery
by Calin Vaida, Ionut Zima, Florin Graur, Bogdan Gherman, Vasile Bulbucan, Paul Tucan, Alexandru Pusca, Florin Zaharie, Pierre Mougenot, Adrian Pisla, Damien Chablat, Nadim Al Hajjar and Doina Pisla
Robotics 2026, 15(2), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/robotics15020046 - 17 Feb 2026
Viewed by 1376
Abstract
Background: Flexible surgical instruments for Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery (RAMIS) face a critical limitation: the inability to rotate the distal head while the instrument is in a bent configuration, which restricts the maneuverability in narrow surgical workspaces. Methods: This paper presents a novel [...] Read more.
Background: Flexible surgical instruments for Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery (RAMIS) face a critical limitation: the inability to rotate the distal head while the instrument is in a bent configuration, which restricts the maneuverability in narrow surgical workspaces. Methods: This paper presents a novel 4-degree-of-freedom (DOF) flexible laparoscopic instrument with a 10 mm diameter, incorporating a 3D-printed flexible element. The design enables independent bending (0–90°), continuous distal head rotation (360°), gripper actuation (0–60°), and rod rotation (180°). A constant-curvature kinematic model was developed. The instrument was manufactured using PolyJet 3D printing technology and integrated with the ATHENA parallel robot for proof-of-concept experimental validation. Results: Experimental tests demonstrated successful independent 360° distal head rotation across the full bending range (0–90°), validated through simulated surgical procedures including stomach retraction. Quantitative characterization using optical motion capture revealed a maximum angular deflection of 79.85° at 670 g applied load, with tip displacements of 74.95 mm (X) and 91.18 mm (Y). The measured grasping force was approximately 2 N, tip position repeatability was ±2.86 mm, and fatigue testing demonstrated no degradation after 500 bending cycles, confirmed by digital microscope inspection. The instrument performed multiple manipulation tasks, including elastic band transfer, wire path navigation, spring manipulation, and tissue grasping. Conclusions: The proposed instrument addresses a significant white spot in surgical robotics by adding an additional functional capability enabling grasper reorientation without repositioning the entire instrument. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from MESROB2025: 9th IFToMM International Workshop on New Trends in Medical and Service Robotics)
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26 pages, 12305 KB  
Article
Development and Experimental Evaluation of the Athena Parallel Robot for Minimally Invasive Pancreatic Surgery
by Alexandru Pusca, Razvan Ciocan, Bogdan Gherman, Andra Ciocan, Andrei Caprariu, Nadim Al Hajjar, Calin Vaida, Adrian Pisla, Corina Radu, Andrei Cailean, Paul Tucan, Damien Chablat and Doina Pisla
Robotics 2026, 15(2), 33; https://doi.org/10.3390/robotics15020033 - 1 Feb 2026
Viewed by 1051
Abstract
This paper presents the development and experimental evaluation of the Athena parallel robot, a novel system designed for robot-assisted pancreatic surgery. The development of the experimental model based on the kinematic scheme, including the command and control system (hardware and software), the calibration [...] Read more.
This paper presents the development and experimental evaluation of the Athena parallel robot, a novel system designed for robot-assisted pancreatic surgery. The development of the experimental model based on the kinematic scheme, including the command and control system (hardware and software), the calibration procedure, and the performance measurements of the experimental model based on finite element analyses of the 3D model, are also detailed in this paper. Based on these finite element analyses, a region of the robot that introduces clearance during the operation of the experimental model is found. The paper also presents the methodology used for mapping the robot’s workspace with an optical system, which enabled improvements to ensure coverage of the entire pancreas area. The results obtained before and after the mechanical improvements are presented, demonstrating a reduction in clearance by up to 4.1 times following part replacement, as well as a workspace extension that enables the active instrument to reach the entire pancreatic region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from MESROB2025: 9th IFToMM International Workshop on New Trends in Medical and Service Robotics)
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19 pages, 2092 KB  
Article
A Hybrid Control Scheme for Backdriving a Surgical Robot About a Pivot Point
by Mehmet İsmet Can Dede, Emir Mobedi and Mehmet Fırat Deniz
Robotics 2025, 14(10), 144; https://doi.org/10.3390/robotics14100144 - 16 Oct 2025
Viewed by 1582
Abstract
An incision point acts as the pivot point when a minimally invasive surgery procedure is applied. The assistive robot arms employed for such operation must have the capability to perform a remote center of motion (RCM) at this pivot point. Other than designing [...] Read more.
An incision point acts as the pivot point when a minimally invasive surgery procedure is applied. The assistive robot arms employed for such operation must have the capability to perform a remote center of motion (RCM) at this pivot point. Other than designing RCM mechanisms, a common practice is to use a readily available spatial serial robot arm and control it to impose this RCM constraint. When this assistive robot is required to be backdriven by the surgeon, the relation between the interaction forces/moments and the motion with RCM constraint becomes challenging. This paper carefully formulates a hybrid position/force control scheme for this relationship when any readily available robot arm that is coupled with a force/torque sensor is used for an RCM task. The verification of the formulation is carried out on a readily available robot arm by implementing the additional constraints that are derived from a surgical robot application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from MESROB2025: 9th IFToMM International Workshop on New Trends in Medical and Service Robotics)
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