An endoscope having an insertion tube with a distal optical module and a releasable handle. In a semi-robotic embodiment, the handle comprises haptic controllers and a computer configured for steering and/or adjusting physical properties of the insertion tube in response to one or more command inputs from the haptic controllers. The computer may also convert image data received from the optical module into two-dimensional images displayable on a monitor. The endoscope may have inertial measurement units (IMUs) for providing data to the computer for creating a digital three-dimensional image representation of an anatomy model and/or for facilitating handling properties of the endoscope.

An ultrasound system is disclosed that includes an ultrasound imaging device including a display screen, a processor and memory having stored thereon logic, and an ultrasound probe. The logic of the ultrasound imaging device, upon execution by the processor, can causes an alteration of content displayed on the display screen in accordance of with ultrasound probe movement-related data. The ultrasound imaging device can include a light source configured to provide incident light to the optical fiber cable, the optical fiber cable including a plurality of reflective gratings disposed along a length thereof. Each of the plurality of reflective gratings can be configured to reflect light with different specific spectral widths to provide distributed measurements in accordance with strain applied to the optical fiber cable. The ultrasound imaging device can obtain the ultrasound probe movement-related data through an optical fiber.

A trackable guidewire apparatus and method for use are described. Longitudinally spaced proximal and distal guidewire ends are separated by a guidewire body. A plurality of longitudinally spaced position sensors are configured to provide signals corresponding to a three-dimensional position of at least one position sensor in a coordinate system of an associated tracking system in response to an electromagnetic field/stimulus. At least one retention mechanism is provided for maintaining the medical device in a predetermined retention position longitudinally along the guidewire body. At least one stop structure is provided in a predetermined stop position longitudinally along the guidewire body.

An electronic system for a surgical instrument is disclosed. The electronic system comprises a main power supply circuit configured to supply electrical power to a primary circuit. A supplementary power supply circuit configured to supply electrical power to a secondary circuit. A short circuit protection circuit coupled between the main power supply circuit and the supplementary power supply circuit. The supplementary power supply circuit is configured to isolate itself from the main power supply circuit when the supplementary power supply circuit detects a short circuit condition at the secondary circuit. The supplementary power supply circuit is configured to rejoin the main power supply circuit and supply power to the secondary circuit, when the short circuit condition is remedied.

A method for acquiring image data of a body part of a patient by means of a ultrasonography device comprising the following steps: providing a transducer of the ultrasonography device, said transducer comprising a first orientation sensor; attaching a second orientation sensor to the skin of the patient above the body part; detecting the orientation of the first orientation sensor relative to the second orientation sensor and verifying, whether the relative orientation corresponds to a target value; and acquiring image data of the body part, once the relative orientation corresponds to the target value.

An endoscopic capsule system comprising: an endoscopic capsule having magnetic characteristics; an extracorporeal guiding and moving apparatus having a moveable multi-hinged cantilever arm which is pivotably mounted at a support stand at one end and at an effector having magnetic characteristics at the other end to move the endoscopic capsule in accordance with movement of the effector; a controller device to define the position and orientation of the endoscopic capsule relative to the effector, and a force and/or moment generation device or a braking device to generate counter forces and/or counter moments or braking forces against moving and/or guiding forces that are manually applied to the cantilever arm and/or effector in accordance with the actually defined position and/or orientation of the endoscopic capsule relative to the effector.

Disclosed herein are systems and techniques for compensating for insertion of an instrument into a working channel of another instrument in a surgical system. According to one embodiment, a method of compensation includes: detecting insertion of an insertable instrument into a working channel of a flexible instrument; detecting, based on a data signal from at least one sensor, a position change of a distal portion of the flexible instrument from an initial position: generating a control signal based on the detected position change; and adjusting a tensioning of a pull wire based on the control signal to return the distal portion to the initial position.

Embodiments relate to surgical systems and methods. The system includes a main assembly having an IMU subsystem, camera, scope head assembly, and processor. Processor processes images and IMU information, including determining whether images include a distal end of the scope head assembly and a cannulation target. Responsive to a determination that images include the distal end of the scope head assembly, the processor generates 3-dimensional position of distal end of the scope head assembly. When images are determined to include the cannulation target, the processor generates 3-dimensional positions of the cannulation target. Processor also generates predictions of one or more real-time trajectory paths for the distal end of the scope head assembly to cannulate the cannulation target.

The present disclosure discloses a panoramic stitching method, an apparatus, and a storage medium. A transformation matrix obtaining method includes: obtaining motion data detected by sensors, wherein the sensors are disposed on a probe used to collect images, and the motion data is used to represent a moving trend of the probe during image collection; inputting the motion data into a pre-trained neural network, to calculate matrix parameters by using the neural network; calculating a transformation matrix by using the matrix parameters, wherein the transformation matrix is used to stitch images collected by the probe, to obtain a panoramic image. In the present disclosure, the transformation matrix can be calculated and the images can be stitched without using characteristics of the images, and factors such as brightness and the characteristics of the images do not impose an impact, thereby improving transformation matrix calculation accuracy, and improving an image stitching effect.

Provided are systems and methods for tracking one or more electrode positions.