Shape Reconstruction Processes for Interventional Application Devices: State of the Art, Progress, and Future Directions.

Soft and continuum robots are transforming medical interventions thanks to their flexibility, miniaturization, and multidirectional movement abilities. Although flexibility enables reaching targets in unstructured and dynamic environments, it also creates challenges for control, especially due to interactions with the anatomy. Thus, in recent years lots of efforts have been devoted for the development of shape reconstruction methods, with the advancement of different kinematic models, sensors, and imaging techniques.

A Novel Pressure-Controlled Revolute Joint with Variable Stiffness.

The compliance and deformability of soft robotics allow human-machine interactions in a safe manner without the need of sophisticated control systems inherent in rigid-body robotic devices. However, these advantages introduce controllability and predictability challenges. In this study, we propose a novel fluidic-driven variable stiffness revolute joint (VSRJ) based on hybrid soft-rigid approach to achieve adjustable compliance while addressing the abovementioned challenges.