An antenna system comprises a transmission member and an antenna at a distal end of the transmission member. The antenna includes a first conductive arm, an insulator extending around the first conductive arm, and a second conductive arm wound around at least a first portion of the insulator to form a second conductive arm coil. A property of the insulator varies along an insulator longitudinal axis of the insulator. The insulator includes a set of formed patterns along at least a portion of the insulator longitudinal axis.

An image capturing and illumination system comprises a headband, a camera head mounted on the headband and having a camera lens defining a focal point, and a fiber-optic lens assembly for transmitting light therefrom. The fiber-optic lens assembly includes a pair of laterally spaced-apart lenses flanked on opposite sides of the camera lens for directing beams of light toward the focal point.

Certain aspects relate to systems and techniques for articulating medical instruments. In one aspect, the instrument includes a wrist having at least two degrees of freedom of movement, and an end effector coupled to the wrist. The end effector can include an upper jaw, a lower jaw, and a firing mechanism configured to form staples in tissue. Actuation of the firing mechanism can be decoupled from the movement of the wrist in the at least two degrees of freedom.

A system for visualizing an anatomical target includes an imaging device (105) configured to collect real-time images of an anatomical target. A three-dimensional model (136) is generated from pre- or intra-operative images and includes images of structures below a surface of the anatomical target not visible in the images from the scope. An image processing module (148) is configured to generate an overlay (107) registered to the real-time images and to indicate the structures below the surface and a depth of the structures below the surface. A display device (118) is configured to concurrently display the real-time images and the overlay.

Systems and methods for supporting image-guided procedures include an elongate device including a steerable distal end and a shape sensor located along a length of the elongate device and one or more processors coupled to the elongate device. While the elongate device is being traversed through one or more passageways of a patient, the one or more processors are configured to detect a data collection event, and capture, in response to detecting the data collection event, a plurality of points along the length of the elongate device using the shape sensor. In some embodiments, an insertion depth of the elongate device is monitored. In some embodiments, the data collection event is detected when the insertion depth is beyond a threshold insertion depth, no change of the insertion depth is detected for longer than a threshold period of time, or the insertion depth is beyond a threshold retraction distance.

A catheter system for optical coherence tomography includes an elongate catheter body, an optical fiber in the elongate catheter body, and an anamorphic lens assembly coupled with a distal end of the optical fiber. The optical fiber and the lens assembly are together configured to provide a common path for optical radiation reflected from a target and from a reference interface between the distal end of the optical fiber and the lens assembly.

A method for adjusting the operation of a surgical instrument using machine learning in a surgical suite is disclosed.

An apparatus for obtaining an image of a retina has an optical relay that defines an optical path and is configured to relay an image of the iris along the optical path to a pupil; a shutter disposed at the pupil and configured to define at least a first shutter aperture for control of light transmission through the pupil position; a tube lens disposed to direct light from the shutter aperture to an image sensor; and a prismatic input port disposed between the shutter and the tube lens and configured to combine, onto the optical path, light from the relay with light conveyed along a second light path that is orthogonal to the optical path.

An apparatus for obtaining an image of a retina is described herein. The apparatus includes an optical relay that defines an optical path and is configured to relay an image of the iris along the optical path to a pupil, a shutter is disposed at the pupil and configured to define at least a first shutter aperture for control of light transmission through the pupil position, a tube lens disposed to direct light from the shutter aperture to an image sensor, and a prismatic input port disposed between the shutter and the tube lens and configured to combine, onto the optical path, light from the relay with light conveyed along a second light path that is orthogonal to the optical path.

A medical instrument is described that includes an optical source, an optical fiber, and a waveguide patterned upon a substrate. The optical fiber receives radiation from the optical source and includes a first segment and a second segment. The second segment is rotated about an optical axis relative to the first segment. The waveguide receives radiation from the optical source and guides a beam of radiation. The waveguide includes a first waveguide segment designed to impart a first differential group delay on the beam of radiation and a second waveguide segment designed to impart a second differential group delay on the beam of radiation. A sum of the first differential group delay and the second differential group delay is substantially zero.