Development of an optical tracking system for a novel flexible and soft manipulator with controllable stiffness for minimal invasive surgery (MIS)

Abstract

Abstract The use of new soft robots in minimally invasive surgery offers exciting new possibilities while it generates new challenges for the technical implementation. In this article, two methods for the detection of a soft flexible robot arm are presented. Based on the image information of an endoscopic camera, the visible sections are evaluated to determine the position of the robot. Both methods have been integrated and tested in the newly developed system.