Search Results (824)

Magnetic robots actuated by magnetic navigation systems (MNSs) have been studied extensively in medical robotics. MNSs composed of multiple electromagnets (EMs) generate external magnetic fields required to apply torque and force to magnetic robots. However, the fixed EM positions in conventional MNSs hinder the generation of a strong magnetic field in the desired direction. To overcome this limitation, several MNSs have recently been proposed to mechanically control EM positions to maximize magnetic field generation. However, solving the resulting nonlinear problem with respect to EM position requires high computational cost. Here, we introduce a decoupled optimization method that first determines the optimal position of the magnetic robot in the ROI by moving the EM part and then determines the current applied to the MNS. The proposed method integrates particle swarm optimization and linear optimization to optimize the EM position and current combination, thereby maximizing both magnetic flux density and magnetic field gradient. Its effectiveness was verified by comparison with a conventional pseudoinverse method. We also experimentally validated the proposed method using an MNS with eight robotically adjustable EMs. Finally, the overall control process was evaluated through navigation experiments with a magnetic catheter and an untethered magnetic robot in various environments. Full article

Medication dispensing errors remain a significant concern in healthcare systems, particularly in elderly care and long-term medication management, where incorrect medication delivery may compromise patient safety and treatment outcomes. This study presents the design and experimental validation of a cyber–physical medication dispensing platform integrating robotic manipulation, edge AI-based visual verification, distributed motion control, and cloud synchronization. The platform combines a rotary medication storage mechanism, vacuum-based pill handling, a Klipper-based control framework, and a YOLOv8 perception subsystem deployed on a Hailo AI accelerator for real-time edge inference. Experimental evaluation was conducted under controlled laboratory conditions. Using an environment-specific validation dataset, the perception subsystem achieved a precision of 0.627, recall of 0.739, and mAP@0.5 of 0.786. An adaptive verification strategy was subsequently evaluated to improve dispensing verification under varying pill occupancy conditions. End-to-end system testing comprising 80 dispensing trials achieved an overall dispensing success rate of 86.25%, with no incorrect dispensing events observed. The results demonstrate the feasibility of integrating edge AI verification, distributed control, and cloud connectivity within a cyber–physical medication dispensing platform. The presented system provides a foundation for future research on perception-assisted medication dispensing, long-term deployment, and clinical validation in smart healthcare environments. Full article

The rapid advancement of information technology and multimedia applications has led to an increasing demand for video data processing. In particular, video fusion technology in multi-camera environments, which integrates and optimizes video data from multiple camera viewpoints, plays a crucial role in enhancing visual quality and improving the completeness of information. This technology addresses the challenge of obtaining high-quality video content in complex and dynamic environments. By improving image clarity, expanding perspective information, and enhancing scene understanding, video fusion technology has shown significant potential for a wide range of applications, attracting considerable attention from both academia and industry. Despite the existence of several review articles on video fusion, they tend to focus on isolated aspects of the technology and often lack a comprehensive, systematic overview of the field. To fill this gap, this paper provides an in-depth review of the research on video fusion technology in multi-camera scenarios. The paper covers the definition of video fusion; offers a detailed classification of key technologies, such as geometric correction and alignment, perspective fusion, spatio-temporal fusion, and multi-modal fusion; and explores its applications in diverse fields including surveillance security, virtual reality, film and television production, intelligent transportation, medical imaging, robotics, and unmanned aerial vehicles. Additionally, the paper examines the role of edge caching in video fusion, highlights the current challenges faced by the field, and discusses the potential of video fusion technology for driving innovation across multiple industries. Full article

Background/Objectives: Robotic gastrectomy (RG) for gastric cancer requires structured implementation to ensure oncological safety, particularly in Western centers with lower case volumes. Indocyanine green (ICG)-guided near-infrared lymphography may facilitate adequate lymphadenectomy and reliable tumor localization. We report our stepwise institutional introduction of RG and evaluate the perioperative outcomes and diagnostic accuracy of ICG-guided lymphography. Methods: All consecutive patients who underwent curative-intent RG at the University Medical Center Ljubljana between June 2022 and September 2025 were retrospectively analyzed. The implementation followed a structured stepwise approach, beginning with subtotal gastrectomy and progressing to total gastrectomy after formal training at Severance Hospital, Yonsei University Health System, under the mentorship of Prof. Woo Jin Hyung. ICG was administered endoscopically the day before surgery for tumor localization and intraoperative lymphatic mapping. The operative learning curve was assessed by CUSUM analysis, segmented regression, and bootstrapped plateau estimation. Results: Thirty-eight patients underwent RG (17 subtotal and 21 total). R0 resection was achieved in 100% of cases. The conversion rate was 2.6%. Major complications (Clavien–Dindo ≥ IIIb) occurred in six patients (15.8%). The 30-day mortality rate was 0%, and the 90-day mortality rate was 2.6%. Bootstrapped plateau operative times were 321.2 min (95% Bias-corrected and accelerated confidence interval (BCa CI): 278.4–344.1) for subtotal and 413.5 min (95% BCa CI: 378.1–476.1) for total gastrectomy, with the steepest learning phase confined to the first 2–4 cases. ICG was used in 23 patients. In a validation subset of five patients (259 lymph node stations), the sensitivity and negative predictive value were both 100%, with zero false negatives in 57 ICG-negative stations. Conclusions: RG can be safely introduced using a structured, stepwise strategy supported by training at a high-volume expert center. ICG-guided lymphography demonstrated 100% sensitivity for tumor-draining nodal basins in a small validation cohort (n = 5), supporting the feasibility of the technique during program introduction and warranting prospective evaluation in larger series. Full article

The introduction of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) marked a turning point in the history of medicine, driving one of the sharpest declines in surgical mortality and morbidity ever recorded—saving millions of lives and sparing an estimated one billion patients the suffering once inherent to large-incision surgery. Within a single generation, this once highly contested surgical innovation became the global standard of care, transforming surgical practice across disciplines and on a global scale. By every measure of public health, these outcomes place modern minimally invasive and robotic-assisted surgery as among the most consequential life-saving advances in modern medical history. This review examines the clinical impact and global dissemination of MIS, tracing its evolution from Camran Nezhat’s pioneering expansion of laparoscopy beyond diagnostics to complex therapeutic procedures across surgical disciplines. Drawing on decades of evidence across gynecology, general surgery, and urology, we show that MIS is associated with substantial reductions in perioperative mortality, major complications, blood loss, infections, thromboembolic events, postoperative pain, and length of hospital stay, while maintaining oncologic equivalence and improving functional and quality-of-life outcomes. Beyond these technical advances, MIS catalyzed a broader reimagining of surgery itself, challenging long-standing norms rooted in large-incision approaches and shifting the field toward precision, organ preservation, and pathology-directed intervention. These changes were accompanied by parallel advances in multiple domains, including in imaging, intraoperative visualization technologies, surgical anatomy, instrumentation, and nerve- and organ-sparing techniques—developments that collectively established the foundation for contemporary minimally invasive and robotic-assisted surgery. Collectively, these advances have contributed to the prevention of an estimated 10–20 million surgery-related deaths that would likely have occurred under the large-incision approaches of the past. Full article

Magnetically controlled continuum robots (MCRs) emerge as a novel type of flexible robotic system that overcomes the physical limitations of traditional rigid-link structures, exhibiting high compliance, minimal invasiveness, and high spatial freedom. Through non-invasive, precise manipulation using magnetic fields, MCRs can achieve navigation and positioning in complex and confined microenvironments such as blood vessels and cavities in the human body. Furthermore, MCRs have attracted increasing attention for minimally invasive intervention because they combine structural compliance with remote magnetic actuation. In this study, we first introduce the driving control of MCRs, including the driving principle and driving system. Next, we discuss different types of robots, such as guiding and steering robots, variable stiffness robots, multimodal motion robots, and bio-inspired continuum robots, as well as their fabrication materials and manufacturing processes. Subsequently, we analyze the achievements of these robots in the medical field, including cardiovascular treatment, cavity diagnosis and treatment, and bone and joint treatment. The review also discusses current challenges in control accuracy, biocompatibility, system integration, and clinical translation. Finally, we briefly summarize the research and discuss the current challenges and future development directions of MCRs. Full article

The emergence of organic–inorganic hybrid composites integrating magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) with polymers has been an important advancement in modern biological research. Among these systems, magnetic sodium alginate (SA)-based hydrogels (MSABHs), produced by embedding MNPs within an SA framework, exhibit remarkable potential for biomedical applications owing to their high biocompatibility, rapid magnetic response, controllable spatiotemporal behavior, and remote, non-invasive operation. Under the influence of an alternating magnetic field (AMF), MSABHs can exhibit various responses, including deformation, motion, and thermal generation, which are highly valuable for diagnostic and therapeutic medical applications. This review first outlines the key studies on SA and MNPs, along with the various synthesis routes used to fabricate MSABHs. Subsequently, the discussion primarily focuses on their versatile biomedical applications, including tissue engineering, targeted drug delivery, thermotherapy, imaging, and micro-robotics, followed by an evaluation of current challenges and prospects for future improvement. Through this comprehensive examination and synthesis, the review aims to further reveal the full potential of MSABHs and broaden their applications in the biological domain. Full article

Soft robotics is a rapidly evolving field that has attracted significant attention within the scientific community. This review analyzes the main advantages of pneumatic technology in service robots across the different application domains defined by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). By organizing the literature according to application domains, this work aims to clarify the specific benefits of pneumatic and soft pneumatic solutions in each context. The proposed approach distinguishes between traditional pneumatic solutions and the subsequent emergence of soft robotics, in order to highlight how and to what extent soft technologies have reshaped the design and application scenarios. Particular attention is devoted to the role of materials and recent manufacturing techniques used by researchers to fabricate soft pneumatic robots. Based on 163 selected papers, the analysis reveals that medical and agricultural applications dominate soft pneumatic research, accounting for 41% and 27% of the soft sample, respectively. Compared to traditional pneumatics, the medical sector has expanded into cardiac assistive devices, wearable monitoring sensors, and minimally invasive surgery; agriculture has grown from 17% to 27% of the soft literature due to precision harvesting grippers. Soft inspection robots have increased thanks to continuum manipulators and bio-inspired locomotion, while search and rescue remains a niche (9%) but promising sector. Unlike previous reviews that focus on single domains or technologies, this work quantifies the uneven transition from rigid to soft pneumatics across IFR sectors and highlights emerging application-specific design paradigms that were not feasible with traditional systems. Full article

Despite recent advances in healthcare robotics, most existing systems remain limited to single-purpose functions and lack the flexibility to collaborate dynamically with clinicians and facility systems. To address these limitations, this study presents an LLM-orchestrated framework for a multifunctional Robotic Health Attendant (RHA) that enables robot actions and environment interactions to be coordinated in healthcare environments. Within this framework, the RHA functions as a multifunctional nursing assistant capable of performing physical, communicative, and informational tasks through natural-language interaction. Tasks are expressed in natural language and decomposed into coordinated behaviors across three functional branches: physical, for navigation, object manipulation, and delivering medication; communicational, for dialog with patients and clinicians; and informational, for retrieving and summarizing clinical knowledge, such as patient education on complex heart transplant procedures. The framework integrates multiple Large Language Models (LLMs) and sensing nodes to combine facility data, patient information, and clinician commands, enabling robots and building systems to act in a context-aware manner through coordinated task execution across robotic and environmental components. Implemented in a simulated environment, the framework demonstrates the feasibility of executing representative tasks through LLM-based orchestration, serving as a proof-of-concept toward integrated robotic assistance in healthcare settings. Full article

A unique motor–syringe air control system is introduced to power a PneuNet-inspired silicone soft robotic hand. The system consists of a novel motor–syringe air drive (MSAD) pneumatic device with a crank–slider mechanism that integrates the functionalities of common medical syringes and servo motors. This novel system is integrated with pressure and flex sensors to overcome challenges encountered with using traditional compressor-powered actuation systems to achieve superior linear pressure profiles, provide precise control over soft finger movements, and minimize the noise emitted. Our soft finger design is inspired by the architecture of PneuNet pneumatic actuators and is further optimized by performing ANSYS Workbench (version 2023) simulations to considerably enhance the bending efficiency. A pressure sensor is deployed in each finger chamber for the purpose of grasping force control in terms of air pressure. Furthermore, the deployed pressure sensor in each finger chamber can also continuously monitor the air leakage, and a replenishment valve can be activated when the air leakage significantly affects (i.e., less than 95% of target pressure) the actuation to restore atmospheric pressure in the syringe chamber to restore the MSAD function. Different tests on bending and grasping (including grasping objects with various shapes) are performed to verify the performance of the proposed pneumatic actuator and the five soft fingers. Full article

The Stewart–Gough Platform (SGP) is a spatial parallel manipulator offering high accuracy, rigidity, and adaptability, with applications spanning medical systems, marine engineering, agriculture, manufacturing, entertainment, aerospace, and architectural installations. This paper presents a comparative analytical and computational study of three SGP configurations: the regular SGP, with regular hexagonal base and top platforms; the Irregular-Parallel SGP, derived from the regular SGP by a novel graphical decomposition-and-modification procedure and characterized by similar symmetric hexagonal platforms with limbs preserved parallel; and the Irregular-Skewed SGP, in which the irregular hexagonal platforms of the Irregular-Parallel SGP are retained, but the limbs are connected in an inclined, alternating clockwise (or anticlockwise) topology. The Irregular–Skewed SGP is free from the constraint singularity that persists in the first two configurations and requires the shortest maximum actuator stroke. Static force analysis shows that the regular SGP and the Irregular–Parallel SGP both exhibit a rank-deficient rigidity matrix (rank = 3) across the geometric scaling range tested (radius ratios 1:2 to 1:10; inter-platform distances 100–1000 mm), whereas the Irregular-Skewed SGP achieves full rank (rank = 6) through inclined limb connectivity and is the only configuration capable of sustaining static equilibrium under the loading conditions examined. The forward kinematics of the Irregular-Parallel SGP is verified against a SolidWorks model: under a 9 mm uniform limb extension, the MATLAB and SolidWorks positions of node 7 agree to within 1.27 mm. The rotational workspace volume is equivalent across the three configurations, but the density of valid solution points within that workspace differs. The workspace within joint limits, alternating compression–tension force partition, and asymmetric stroke economy of the Irregular-Skewed SGP indicate applicability to kinetic facades and transformable interiors in architectural-robotics deployment. Full article

Variable stiffness endows continuum robots with both compliance and tunable rigidity, making them promising alternatives to traditional rigid manipulators in confined and unstructured environments. Over the past decade, great progress has been made in variable stiffness technologies involving structural design, actuation, modeling, and control. However, current research is fragmented and mostly focuses on individual aspects, lacking a systematic review and a unified framework integrating structure, modeling, and control. This paper presents a comprehensive review of variable stiffness in continuum robots, emphasizing the interrelationships among stiffness principles, modeling, and control strategies. We summarize classical and emerging variable stiffness methods, analyze their integration with control approaches, and evaluate the evolution of control strategies, especially multi-modal fusion of actuation, sensing, and control. Such fusion can improve control accuracy and robustness in human-centered environments and is regarded as a key driver for next-generation intelligent continuum robots. Finally, we outline future directions, highlight the “actuation–stiffness–control” paradigm, and discuss existing challenges and open research opportunities for high-performance intelligent control. Full article

Micro/nanorobotics is emerging as a promising biomedical technology because of its precision, minimal invasiveness, multifunctionality, and potential to mitigate systemic adverse effects. At these ultraminiaturized scales, unique physical constraints necessitate design principles and actuation strategies distinct from those of conventional robotic systems, making material choice, structural design, propulsion mechanisms, and fabrication methods central to overall performance. In this review, we examine recent trends in micro/nanorobot development, with particular emphasis on the advantages of employing hydrogels and the current technical limitations associated with their use. Magnetic, chemical, acoustic, optical, and biohybrid propulsion strategies are comparatively analyzed, together with the material requirements and biological compatibility associated with each approach. Representative applications in drug delivery, tissue regeneration, and cancer therapy are further discussed to highlight the broad medical potential of these systems. Finally, remaining challenges related to material limitations, actuation efficiency, biocompatibility, and manufacturing scalability are identified, and future directions toward clinical translation and practical deployment are outlined. Overall, this review provides an integrated perspective on how hydrogel properties, actuation physics, fabrication strategies, and translational considerations collectively shape the development of more adaptive, biocompatible, and clinically relevant microrobotic systems. Full article

The development of robotic systems that can operate safely and adaptively alongside humans requires actuators that combine compliance with reliable performance. Soft pneumatic rotary actuators (SPRAs) have emerged as promising candidates due to their inherent compliance, lightweight design, and capability to generate smooth rotational motion through elastic deformation. However, the diverse designs and performance characteristics of SPRAs make it challenging to identify optimal configurations for specific applications. This review comprehensively surveys current SPRAs, focusing on structural designs, materials, and fabrication methods. While SPRAs offer advantages such as reduced risk of injury and enhanced adaptability, significant challenges remain in optimizing torque output, rotational range, and durability. By comparing existing designs and highlighting open research challenges, this paper aims to guide the advancement of SPRAs, facilitating their integration into safe, effective robotic systems for industrial, medical, and wearable applications. Full article

Peripheral nerve blocks can effectively reduce the use of general anesthesia and opioids in situations where robust pain management is critical, such as severe extremity trauma and hip, femur, and knee surgeries. Despite these benefits, nerve blocks are underutilized due to the high skill required to accurately insert a needle and safely deliver local anesthetic. To overcome this challenge, ultrasound image guidance enabled by artificial intelligence (AI) offers a semi-automated solution for regional anesthesia delivery by non-specialists. As a first step towards realizing an integrated platform for AI-guided nerve blocks, the main objective of this study is to develop and characterize deep learning algorithms to interpret anatomical landmarks on ultrasound images in real time and identify aimpoints for needle placement. Our AI system was trained on over 55,000 images from 20 porcine models and demonstrated an average area under the precision–recall curve of 0.92 (SD = 0.03) for in vivo landmark detection in the femoral nerve region. In prospective live animal testing, aimpoint identification had a 98.3% success rate with an average time of 40.5 s (SD = 33.5). Future work will focus on integrated testing with handheld robotics towards a more accessible method for delivering regional anesthesia in settings from point of injury to medical transport to hospitals. Full article