Disclosed is a variable-parameter stiffness identification and modeling method for an industrial robot. An effective working space of a robot is divided into a plurality of cubic regions. For an operating task in a certain machining region, different loads are applied to an end effector at multiple positions and multiple postures in the region, and robot joint stiffness in this section is identified and acquired according to the relationship between the loads and an end deformation, thereby realizing accurate stiffness control of the robot in different operating sections during a machining process.

A surgical robot including an imaging system comprising at least one camera, a processor in communication with the imaging system, a manipulation system in communication with the processor, and a visual display in communication with the processor. The processor is operable to calculate a mechanical property estimate for an area of an environment based on an environment model of tool-environment interaction data, create a composite image comprising a mechanical property map of the mechanical property estimate overlaid on an environment image from the at least one camera, and output the composite image on the visual display.