Current Issue : January-March Volume : 2026 Issue Number : 1 Articles : 5 Articles
Articulated tracked robots (ATRs) equipped with dual active flippers are widely used due to their ability to climb over complex obstacles like animals with legs. This paper presents a novel planning framework designed to empower ATRs with the capability of autonomously generating global paths that integrate obstacle-crossing maneuvers in complex terrains. This advancement effectively mitigates the issue of excessive dependence on remote human control, thereby enhancing the operational efficiency and adaptability of ATRs in challenging environments. The framework consists of three core components. First, a lightweight DeepLab V3+ architecture augmented with an edge-aware module is used for real-time semantic segmentation of elevation maps. Second, a simplified model of the robot-terrain contact is constructed to rapidly calculate the robot’s pose at map sampling points through contact point traversal. Finally, based on rapidly-exploring random trees, the cost of flipper motion smoothness is incorporated into the search process, achieving collaborative planning of passable paths and flipper maneuvers in obstaclecrossing scenarios. The framework was tested on our Crawler robot, which can quickly and accurately identify flat areas, obstacle-crossing areas, and impassable areas, avoiding redundant planning in non-obstacle areas. Compared to manually operated remote control, the planned path demonstrated shorter travel time, better stability, and lower flipper energy expenditure. This framework offers substantial practical value for autonomous navigation in demanding environments....
This research proposes a novel adaptive robust fault-tolerant controller for symmetrical robotic manipulators subject to model uncertainties and actuator failures. The key innovation lies in the design of a new sliding manifold that effectively integrates the advantages of a hyperbolic tangent function-based practical sliding manifold and a fast terminal sliding manifold. This structure not only eliminates the reaching phase and accelerates error convergence but also significantly enhances system robustness while mitigating chattering. Moreover, the proposed manifold ensures the global non-singularity of the equivalent control law, thereby improving overall stability. Another major contribution is an adjustable adaptive strategy that dynamically estimates the unknown bounds of fault information and external disturbances, reducing the reliance on prior knowledge. The stability and convergence of the robotic system under the proposed scheme are theoretically analyzed and guaranteed. Finally, simulation experiments demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed scheme....
Research on extreme environmental exploration using unmanned robots has recently attracted significant attention. In particular, unmanned robot exploration in vast areas such as Antarctica requires a system capable of remotely monitoring and controlling multiple robots. This paper proposes an integrated control system designed to monitor, control, and assign exploration tasks to multiple robots operating in extreme environments. This system utilizes GPS-based collaboration to support specific tasks, such as crevasse exploration and automatic battery charging, in Antarctic target areas. The system’s user interface (UI) is designed for efficiency and integrates elements such as remote control and mission execution commands tailored to the Antarctic environment. The proposed system was implemented using three robot platforms, and through performance evaluation tests in Antarctica, it achieved a cumulative driving distance of over 500 km and over 200 h of operation for over a month. The successful execution of simultaneous crevasse exploration by three robots highlights the system’s capability for coordinated multi-robot operations in extreme environments....
Background/Objectives: Due to the increasing incidence of pancreatic and periampullary cancers with advancing age, coupled with the growing evidence supporting minimally invasive pancreatectomy, the demand for such procedures is rising. However, data on the feasibility of robotic pancreatectomy in octogenarian patients remain scant. This study aimed to investigate overall outcomes of robotic pancreatectomy and evaluate its safety and feasibility in octogenarian patients. Methods: A multicenter, retrospective study was conducted, including 380 patients who underwent robotic pancreatectomy at two high-volume centers in Japan from April 2020 to December 2024. Using prospectively collected data, we compared outcomes between younger patients (<80 years) and octogenarian patients (≥80 years). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the impact of age on postoperative outcomes. Results: Among the 380 patients, with a median age of 72 (interquartile range: 61–77) years, 213 underwent robotic pancreatoduodenectomy (RPD), and 167 underwent robotic distal pancreatectomy (RDP). Octogenarian patients were found to have more comorbidities and a higher incidence of malignant diseases. Octogenarians experienced significantly longer hospital stays post-RPD (22 [octogenarian; n = 36] vs. 14 [younger; n = 177] days, p < 0.001) and post-RDP (14 [n = 23] vs. 10.5 [n = 144] days, p = 0.02), yet their perioperative outcomes were comparable. Multivariable analyses indicated that age (≥80 years) was not a significant risk factor for major complications following robotic pancreatectomy (odds ratio, 1.33; 95% confidence interval, 0.59–2.84; p = 0.479). Conclusions: This multicenter study conducted at high-volume centers suggests that robotic pancreatectomy can be safely performed in carefully selected octogenarian patients....
Robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) has emerged as a leading surgical approach for localized prostate cancer in many centers worldwide. Leveraging minimally invasive techniques and advanced visualization, RARP has demonstrated benefits in perioperative and functional outcomes, and at least comparable, if not better, oncologic control relative to open radical prostatectomy (ORP) and laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP). This review summarizes the current evidence on the efficacy, safety, and functional outcomes associated with RARP and discusses its role in contemporary prostate cancer management....
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