A mammography system includes a biopsy guidance system that employs a simplified robot arm support, to enable previously unusable locations for the mounting of the biopsy device directly to the mammography system, such as on a compression paddle, combined with a vision guidance and control system. The vision system operates to determine the position of the biopsy device and the biopsy needle tip, as well as to control the movement/operation of the biopsy guidance system, such as movement to the final end-pose or pre-firing position of the biopsy device to perform the biopsy procedure. The vision system utilizes one or more cameras to visually determine the position the biopsy device relative to a region of interest being biopsied within the required tolerances for the biopsy procedure without the need for precise positional information to be provided by the biopsy guidance system to the mammography system.

The present disclosure relates to a bed-integrated electromagnetic field apparatus for controlling movement of a microrobot, and a method for driving a microrobot by using the same. A bed-integrated electromagnetic field apparatus according to the present disclosure can accurately control the movement of a medical device that can be inserted into a human body, such as a microrobot, and enables reduction of the size of the apparatus so as to be used in a medical procedure for diagnosis and treatment of vascular disease and the like.

A microrobot configured to move in a viscous material, in particular in an organ of a subject such as a brain, the microrobot having a propulsion structure comprising a head portion, a rear portion and a deformable portion connecting the head portion and the rear portion. The deformable portion is deformable in elongation/contraction along a main axis connecting the head portion and the rear portion. The head portion includes at its surface at least one propulsion cilium, one end of the at least one propulsion cilium being attached to the head portion and the other end of the at least one propulsion cilium being a free end configured to move freely in the viscous material. The propulsion structure further includes a motor configured to actuate sequentially elongation/contraction cycles of the deformable portion.

A micro-engine including a rotation structure, the rotation structure including a head portion, a rear portion, and a deformable portion connecting both portions. The deformable portion is deformable in elongation or compression along a main axis and includes a spring element displaying a free end. The free end of the spring element includes at least an abutment member. The deformable portion further includes a wheel-platform which displays a first and a second face, being configured to cooperate with the free end of the spring element in order to transform a back-and-forth movement of the at least one spring element into a rotational movement of the wheel-platform.

The disclosed technology includes improved microsurgical tools providing multiple degrees of freedom at the wrist level, including roll, pitch, and grasp DOFs, a tight articulation bending radius, low radial offset, and improved stiffness. Some implementations include an end effector platform moveable along a fixed trajectory on a fictional axle so as not to interfere with a central-axis aligned working channel; a crossed-arm mechanical linkage for articulating an end-effector platform throughout a pitch DOF with an amplified pitch angle; and a partial pulley system to articulate the arms while maximizing pulley radius to shaft diameter, and permitting a constant transmission efficiency to the arms throughout the range of articulation. In some implementations, a tool shaft outer diameter may be smaller than 3 mm; a pitch DOF range may be ±90°, a roll DOF range may be ±180°, and a grasp DOF range may be 30°.

Techniques for performing therapy using an internal anatomy therapy delivery system are described herein. The internal anatomy therapy delivery system calculates a treatment location from sensor data received from an internal anatomy therapy delivery device, determines an appropriate therapy, and moves the internal anatomy therapy delivery device to a location on the anatomical surface corresponding to the therapy. Once at the location, the internal anatomy therapy delivery device determines treatment parameters based on local measurements, delivers the treatment, and makes additional measurements to determine whether the treatment was successful.

A small diameter surgical tool implements an agonist-antagonist deflectable joint. The deflectable joint is an actuatable bendable structure that uses push-pull, agonist-antagonist action of a pair of nested tubes to actuate the joint. The tubes are designed to have non-central, offset neutral axes, and they are fixed together at locations distal to the deflectable joint, such as at their distal ends. Axial translations of the tubes relative to each other causes a push-pull, agonist-antagonist action between the tubes, which causes the deflectable joint to bend. In one implementation, a deflectable joint can be created in nested tubes by configuring radial portions of the tube sidewalls extending along the joint to have an axial region of reduced stiffness. As a result, axial agonist-antagonist motion between the tubes can cause bending of the deflectable joint.

A robotic surgical assembly includes a slave manipulator connected to a surgical instrument. A jointed subassembly includes at least a first, second and third links. The first and second links are associated in a first joint providing a degree of freedom between the first link and the second link. The second and third links are associated in a second joint providing a degree of freedom between the second link and the third link. The surgical instrument includes a tendon for moving a degree of freedom; the tendon including a tendon distal portion secured to the third link. The first link and/or the second link includes a tendon contact surface on which the tendon slides remaining in contact with the tendon contact surface, defining one or more sliding paths on the tendon contact surface. The sum of all sliding paths defines a total winding angle of at least 120°.

A micro-robot magnetic drive device and a control method based on double closed loop three-dimensional path tracking are disclosed. The method includes: inputting a desired tracking path, obtaining current pose information of a magnetic micro-robot through a camera, and then calculating a position of a center of mass, an actual axial direction, coordinates of a desired position point with the shortest distance from the center of mass on a desired tracking path, and a tangent direction of this point; calculating a horizontal distance, a vertical distance, a direction angle error, and a pitch angle error of the two points according to the actual axial direction, the tangent direction, and disturbance compensation; and obtaining a required rotating magnetic field according to a designed position closed loop controller.

A surgical instrument is inserted through a guide tube. The surgical instrument exits at an intermediate position of the guide tube and is oriented to be substantially parallel to the guide tube's longitudinal axis as it exits. A stereoscopic image capture component is on the guide tube between the intermediate position and the guide tube's distal end. The image capture component's field of view is generally perpendicular to the guide tube's longitudinal axis. The guide tube is jointed to allow the image capture component to be moved. The surgical instruments and the guide tube are telemanipulatively controlled.