Design and Modelling of Continuum Robot for Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection Surgery With Lifting Force Estimation.

Background: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is an effective treatment for early-stage gastrointestinal cancers. However, traditional surgical instruments lack accuracy and force-sensing.

Methods: A new type of continuum robot for ESD is designed.

Compound continuum manipulator for surgery: Efficient static-based kinematics.

Background: The combination of various continuum manipulators is a potential solution to break the bottleneck of continuum manipulators. However, continuum manipulators dissatisfy the constant curvature assumption due to the influence of joints.

Methods: In this paper, a mechanics-based kinematic model of the compound continuum manipulator is proposed, which indicates that the curvature is non-constant.

Coupling Analysis of Compound Continuum Robots for Surgery: Another Line of Thought.

The compound continuum robot employs both concentric tube components and cable-driven continuum components to achieve its complex motions. Nevertheless, the interaction between these components causes coupling, which inevitably leads to reduced accuracy. Consequently, researchers have been striving to mitigate and compensate for this coupling-induced error in order to enhance the overall performance of the robot.

YOLO-Weld: A Modified YOLOv5-Based Weld Feature Detection Network for Extreme Weld Noise.

Weld feature point detection is a key technology for welding trajectory planning and tracking. Existing two-stage detection methods and conventional convolutional neural network (CNN)-based approaches encounter performance bottlenecks under extreme welding noise conditions. To better obtain accurate weld feature point locations in high-noise environments, we propose a feature point detection network, YOLO-Weld, based on an improved You Only Look Once version 5 (YOLOv5).

Modeling of and Experimenting with Concentric Tube Robots: Considering Clearance, Friction and Torsion.

Concentric tube robots (CTRs) are a promising prospect for minimally invasive surgery due to their inherent compliance and ability to navigate in constrained environments. Existing mechanics-based kinematic models typically neglect friction, clearance, and torsion between each pair of contacting tubes, leading to large positioning errors in medical applications. In this paper, an improved kinematic modeling method is developed.

Dexterity enhancement of continuum robot for natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery in the dual-manipulator collaborative space.

Background: Suturing and knotting in Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) requires the robot not only to be able to work with multiple manipulators but also to have a high degree of dexterity. However, little attention has been paid to the design and enhancement of dexterity in multi-manipulated robots.

Methods: In this paper, the dexterity of a new dual-manipulator collaborative continuum robot in collaborative space is analyzed and enhanced.

Miniature Manipulator Design and Cartesian Control for Minimally Invasive Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery.

This paper presents a miniature manipulator under Cartesian control for minimally invasive transluminal endoscopic surgery. The manipulator had four degrees of freedom (DoFs) and a diameter of only 3.5 mm.

Design and experimental validation of a master manipulator with position and posture decoupling for laparoscopic surgical robot.

Background: The master manipulator with position and posture decoupling and force feedback can improve the immersion of the operation, and the gravity balance can reduce the fatigue of surgeons.

Methods: A seven degree of freedom master manipulator is developed. The parallelogram structure and the angle conversion method contribute to the realization of decoupling position and posture.

High species richness of tachinid parasitoids (Diptera: Calyptratae) sampled with a Malaise trap in Baihua Mountain Reserve, Beijing, China.

Tachinidae are one of the most speciose families of Diptera and the largest group of non-hymenopteran parasitoids. Little is known about their diversity, distribution patterns, and seasonal variation in most ecosystems. This study reports on tachinid flies collected by a Malaise trap over 73 weeks in Baihua Mountain Reserve, northern China, and investigates the patterns of local species richness and its temporal distribution.

Development of a novel deployable arm for natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery.

Background: Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is aided by the instrument channel of an endoscope. Limited by the diameter of the endoscope, the construction of the operation triangle is affected. This paper presents a deployable arm that can increase the distance between the arms.