Systems and methods can comprise or involve predicting future movement information for a medical articulating arm using a learned model generated based on learned previous movement information from a prior non-autonomous trajectory of the medical articulating arm performed in response to operator input and using current movement information for the medical articulating arm, generating control signaling to autonomously control movement of the medical articulating arm in accordance with the predicted future movement information for the medical articulating arm, and autonomously controlling the movement of the medical articulating arm in accordance with the predicted future movement information for the medical articulating arm based on the generated control signaling.

An access device for accessing an intervertebral disc having an outer shield comprising an access shield with a larger diameter (˜16-30 mm) that reaches from the skin down to the facet line, with an inner shield having a second smaller diameter (˜5-12 mm) extending past the access shield and reaches down to the disc level. This combines the benefits of the direct visual microsurgical/mini open approaches and the percutaneous, “ultra-MIS” techniques.

Systems and methods for registration feature integrity checking include a repositionable arm configured to support a repositionable device and a control unit. The control unit is configured to receive a feature set including one or more features extracted from one or more images of a repositionable structure obtained from an imaging device, determine an expected feature corresponding to an extracted feature in the feature set based on one or more models of the repositionable structure, determine an error between the extracted feature and the expected feature, determine whether to remove the extracted feature from the feature set based on the determined error, remove the extracted feature from the feature set in response to determining that the extracted feature should be removed from the feature set, and provide the feature set to a registration module. The repositionable structure includes the repositionable arm and/or the repositionable device.

Systems and methods for endoscopic operations are described. For example, the disclosure provides mechanisms for sensing and controlling a field of view of an endoscope by determining a pose of the field of view using a first location and a second location, and controlling the pose of the field of view by moving at least one of: the first portion and the second portion. The first location is of a first portion of the endoscope and the second location is of a second portion of the endoscope. The endoscope comprises a flexible portion disposed between the first portion and the second portion. The first and second locations are defined by a configuration, relative to the endoscope, of an endoscope support and a cannula. The endoscope support configured to support the endoscope. A shaft of the endoscope is configured to extend through the cannula.

A medical signal processing apparatus processes image signals input from an imaging device. The image signals corresponds to a result of examining a subject, and the imaging device sequentially outputs the image signals from multiple pixels arrayed in a matrix according to a raster to the medical signal processing apparatus. The medical image signal processing apparatus includes: a signal divider configured to divide the image signals according to the raster sequentially output from the imaging device into first divided image signals each according to a pixel group consisting of multiple pixels arrayed in connected multiple columns; and a plurality of pre-processors configured to process, in parallel, sets of pixel information of the multiple first divided image signals divided by the signal divider.

An instrument device manipulator (IDM) is attached to a surgical arm of a robotic system and comprises a surgical tool holder and an outer housing. The surgical tool holder includes an attachment interface that can secure a surgical tool in a front-mount configuration (where the attachment interface is on a face opposite of an elongated body of the surgical tool) or a back-mount configuration (where the attachment interface is on the same face as the elongated body of the surgical tool). The surgical tool holder may rotate continuously within the outer housing. In a back-mount configuration, the surgical tool holder may have a passage that receives the elongated body of the tool and allows free rotation of the elongated body about the rotational axis. A surgical drape separates the IDM and robotic arm from a tool, while allowing electrical and/or optical signals to pass therebetween.

Robotic systems can be capable of collision detection and avoidance. A medical robotic system can include a first kinematic chain and one or more sensors positioned to detect one or more parameters of contact with one or more portions of the first kinematic chain. The medical robotic system can be configured to cause adjustment of a configuration of the first kinematic chain from a first configuration to a second configuration based on a constraint determined from the one or more parameters of contact with the first kinematic chain detected by the one or more sensors.

A robotic system includes a medical instrument comprising an elongate shaft dimensioned to be disposed at least partially within an access sheath and control circuitry configured to cause the elongate shaft to be retracted at least partially within the access sheath, determine a position of a distal end of the elongate shaft relative to the access sheath, and modify a speed of retraction of the elongate shaft based on the determined position of the distal end of the elongate shaft relative to the access sheath.

A medical manipulator system includes a manipulator having a first joint; a first detecting means detecting an orientation of the first joint; an operation unit having a second joint associated with the first joint for operating the first joint; a second detecting means detecting an orientation of the second joint; a control unit outputting a signal for operating the first joint, the signal being based on the orientation of the second joint detected by the second detecting means; and a display unit displaying information output by the control unit, wherein a display of the information by the display unit includes a first display indicating a predetermined range of an orientation determined by using the orientation of the first joint that is detected by the first detecting means as a reference and a second display indicating the orientation of the second joint that is detected by the second detecting means.

Certain aspects relate to biopsy apparatuses, systems and techniques for biopsy using a biopsy pattern. Some aspects relate to moving a distal portion of a medical instrument to one or more sample locations of the biopsy pattern and guiding the instrument to obtain tissue samples from the sample locations within the biopsy pattern. Some aspects relate to obtaining the biopsy pattern and adjusting the sample locations within the biopsy pattern based on various factors such as anatomical features.