Systems and methods for introducing and driving flexible members in a patient's body are described herein. In one embodiment, a robotic method includes positioning a flexible elongated member that has a preformed configuration, wherein at least a part of the flexible elongated member has a first member disposed around it, and wherein the first member includes a first wire for bending the first member or for maintaining the first member in a bent configuration, releasing at least some tension in the first wire to relax the first member, and advancing the first member distally relative to the flexible elongated member while the first member is in a relaxed configuration.

Example embodiments relate to surgical systems and methods. The system includes an arm assembly and end-effector assembly. The arm assembly includes a first drive portion and wrist drive portion. The end-effector assembly is securable to and removable from the arm assembly. The end-effector assembly includes an instrument assembly and wrist assembly. The instrument assembly includes a first instrument, first instrument driven portion, and first instrument insulative portion. The first instrument driven portion is configured to move the first instrument relative to a first axis when the first instrument driven portion is driven by the first drive portion. The wrist assembly includes a wrist driven portion. The wrist driven portion is configured to move the first instrument relative to a second axis when the wrist driven portion is driven by the wrist drive portion. The end-effector assembly is secured to and removable from the arm assembly via a wrist connector portion.

An instrument drive assembly for use with a surgical instrument includes a housing assembly supporting a drive assembly therein, a coupling tube supported at a distal end of the housing assembly and extending distally therefrom, a coupling assembly, and a retention mechanism. The coupling assembly is supported in the housing assembly and is configured to releasably couple to an instrument drive shaft of the surgical instrument, and the retention mechanism is configured to releasably couple to an instrument sleeve of the surgical instrument.

This document illustrates all the new features of the ROSES system (RObotic System for Endovascular Surgery) which Is extended by angioplasty to all possible endovascular applications, starting with the increase in size of the passage hole through the RA to allow not only thrust, of catheters and stents of large diameter, but even the passage of hemostatic valves, and then move on to the description of disposable catheters and guides not for angioplasty, then moving on to the RA handling trolley which also allows the measurement of the forces that the organism of the patient opposes the advancement of the catheters, but even that which meets the guide in the advancement inside the catheter. The curvature control system of a catheter is then illustrated, ending with the definition of a new family of RAs that can control two independent rotations and four further independent parameters.

The invention relates to a tube (100) with a hollow cylindrical elastic base structure (102) for insertion into a blood vessel (200) of a vascular system (202). The tube (100) comprises an outer anisotropic surface structure (104) comprising a geometrical anisotropy between a direction circumferential to the tube and a direction longitudinal to the tube (100). The anisotropic surface structure (104) is configured for establishing an anisotropic friction between the anisotropic surface structure (104) and an inner surface of the blood vessel (200). The anisotropic friction results in a surface propulsion of the tube (100), when the tube (100) is rotated around a central longitudinal body axis (106) of the tube (100). The tube (100) further comprises a magnetic material (108) distributed circumferentially around the tube (100) and configured for establishing within an external magnetic field a rotation of the tube (100) around the central longitudinal body axis (106) of the tube (100).

System for guiding an instrument within a vascular network of a patient are disclosed. In some embodiments, the system receives a medical image from a medical imaging device and identifies a distal tip and a direction the instrument in the image. The system may then determine a waypoint for the distal tip of the instrument based at least in part on the position and direction of the distal tip of the instrument. The system may then generate a trajectory command for moving the instrument through the vascular network from the current position to the waypoint. The system may operate in a closed loop. The system may provide the trajectory command to a robotic medical system configured to move the instrument according to the command.

A method for removing tissues may comprise disposing a tissue resection device at a target tissue site, causing the tissue resection device to resect a core of tissue from the target tissue site, removing the core of tissue from the body, wherein the removing the core of tissue from the body creates a core cavity at the target tissue site.

A biomaterial collection device can include a wire that includes a functional member including a proximal end, a distal end, a first flat surface and a second flat surface opposing the first surface. The functional member can be configured to fit within a body lumen. The functional member can include binding elements configured to bind circulating biomolecules and cells. The functional member can include curved portions that form revolutions around the longitudinal axis of the device.

Methods and systems for instrument tracking and navigation are described. In one embodiment, the system may be configured to receive position sensor data from at least one position sensor tracking an instrument positioned within a luminal network and determine a position sensor-based estimated state derived from the sensor data. The system may be configured to determine a combined estimated state for the instrument based on the position sensor data and at least one other type of position data. The system may be configured to determine a location transform based on the combined estimated state and the position sensor-based estimated state and output an estimated state of the instrument based on the position sensor-based estimated state adjusted by the location transform.

A patient console for a robotic surgical system can include a base, a vertical lift attached to a top of the base and configured to provide up and down motion in a vertical axis, a yaw rotation device attached to the top of the vertical lift and configured to provide a yaw rotation about the vertical axis, a pitch rotation device attached to the top of the yaw rotation device and configured to provide a pitch rotation about a pitch axis orthogonal to the vertical axis, a translation device attached to the top of the pitch rotation device and configured to provide sliding translation along a translation axis, and a roll rotation device attached to the translation device to roll relative to the translation device about a roll axis to provide a roll to an instrument controller assembly. An angle of the translation axis and the roll axis relative to horizontal can be a function of the pitch rotation provided by the pitch rotation device. A direction of the translation axis and the roll axis can be a function of the yaw rotation provided by the yaw rotation device.