A Survey of Needle Steering Approaches in Minimally Invasive Surgery.

In virtue of a curved insertion path inside tissues, needle steering techniques have revealed the potential with the assistance of medical robots and images. The superiority of this technique has been preliminarily verified with several maneuvers: target realignment, obstacle circumvention, and multi-target access. However, the momentum of needle steering approaches in the past decade leads to an open question-"How to choose an applicable needle steering approach for a specific clinical application?" This survey discusses this question in terms of design choices and clinical considerations, respectively. In view of design choices, this survey proposes a hierarchical taxonomy of current needle steering approaches. Needle steering approaches of different manipulations and designs are classified to systematically review the design choices and their influences on clinical treatments. In view of clinical consideration, this survey discusses the steerability and acceptability of the current needle steering approaches. On this basis, the pros and cons of the current needle steering approaches are weighed and their suitable applications are summarized. At last, this survey concluded with an outlook of the needle steering techniques, including the potential clinical applications and future developments in mechanical design.

Repetitive Impedance Learning-Based Physically Human-Robot Interactive Control.

Model-based impedance learning control can provide variable impedance regulation for robots through online impedance learning without interaction force sensing. However, the existing related results only guarantee the closed-loop control systems to be uniformly ultimately bounded (UUB) and require the human impedance profiles being periodic, iteration-dependent, or slowly varying. In this article, a repetitive impedance learning control approach is proposed for physical human-robot interaction (PHRI) in repetitive tasks. The proposed control is composed of a proportional-differential (PD) control term, an adaptive control term, and a repetitive impedance learning term. Differential adaptation with projection modification is designed for estimating robotic parameters uncertainties in the time domain, while fully saturated repetitive learning is proposed for estimating time-varying human impedance uncertainties in the iterative domain. Uniform convergence of tracking errors is guaranteed by the PD control and the use of projection and full saturation in the uncertainties estimation and is theoretically proved based on a Lyapunov-like analysis. In impedance profiles, the stiffness and damping are composed of an iteration-independent term and an iteration-dependent disturbance, which are estimated by repetitive learning and compressed by the PD control, respectively. Therefore, the developed approach can be applied to the PHRI where iteration-dependent disturbances exist in the stiffness and damping. The control effectiveness and advantages are validated by simulations on a parallel robot in a repetitive following task.

Spatial hybrid adaptive impedance learning control for robots in repetitive interactive tasks.

The existing model-based impedance learning control methods can provide variable impedance regulation for physical human-robot interaction (PHRI) in repetitive tasks without interactive force sensing, however, these methods require the completion of the repetitive tasks with constant time, which restricts their applications. For PHRI in repetitive tasks with different completion time, this paper proposes a spatial hybrid adaptive impedance learning control (SHAILC) strategy by using the spatial periodic characteristics of the tasks. In the spatial hybrid adaptation, spatial periodic adaptation is used for estimating time-varying human impedance and differential adaptation is designed for estimating robotic constant unknown parameters. The use of deadzone modifications in hybrid adaptation maintains the accuracy of the parameter estimation when the tracking error is small relative to the modeling error. The control stability is analyzed by a Lyapunov-based analysis in the spatial domain, and the control effectiveness and superiority is illustrated on a parallel robot in repetitive tasks with different task completion time.

Joint torques estimation in human gait based on Gaussian process.

BACKGROUND: Human gait involves activities in nervous and musculoskeletal dynamics to modulate joint torques with time continuously for adapting to varieties of walking conditions. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this paper is to estimate the joint torques of lower limbs in human gait based on Gaussian process. METHOD: The potential uses of this study include optimization of exoskeleton assistance, control of the active prostheses, and modulating the joint torque for human-like robots. To achieve this, Gaussian process (GP) based data fusion algorithm is established with joint angles as the inputs. RESULTS: The statistic nature of the proposed model can explore the correlations between joint angles and joint torques, and enable accurate joint-torque estimations. Experiments were conducted for 5 subjects at three walking speed (0.8 m/s, 1.2 m/s, 1.6 m/s). CONCLUSION: The results show that it is possible to estimate the joint torques at different scenarios.

Adaptive Interaction Control of Compliant Robots Using Impedance Learning.

This paper presents an impedance learning-based adaptive control strategy for series elastic actuator (SEA)-driven compliant robots without the measurement of the robot-environment interaction force. The adaptive controller is designed based on the command filter-based adaptive backstepping approach, where a command filter is used to decrease computational complexity and avoid the requirement of high derivatives of the robot position. In the controller, environmental impedance profiles and robotic parameter uncertainties are estimated using adaptive learning laws. Through a Lyapunov-based theoretical analysis, the tracking error and estimation errors are proven to be semiglobally uniformly ultimately bounded. The control effectiveness is illustrated through simulations on a compliant robot arm.

Finite-Time Interactive Control of Robots with Multiple Interaction Modes.

This paper proposes a finite-time multi-modal robotic control strategy for physical human-robot interaction. The proposed multi-modal controller consists of a modified super-twisting-based finite-time control term that is designed in each interaction mode and a continuity-guaranteed control term. The finite-time control term guarantees finite-time achievement of the desired impedance dynamics in active interaction mode (AIM), makes the tracking error of the reference trajectory converge to zero in finite time in passive interaction mode (PIM), and also guarantees robotic motion stop in finite time in safety-stop mode (SSM). Meanwhile, the continuity-guaranteed control term guarantees control input continuity and steady interaction modes transition. The finite-time closed-loop control stability and the control effectiveness is validated by Lyapunov-based theoretical analysis and simulations on a robot manipulator.

Singular perturbation-based saturated adaptive control for underactuated Euler-Lagrange systems.

This paper proposes a saturated smooth adaptive controller for regulating a certain type of underactuated Euler-Lagrange systems (UELSs) with modeling uncertainties and control saturations based on a singular perturbation approach. Compared with relevent literature, the advantages of the proposed controller include: (1) it renders the UELS semiglobally asymptotically track the desired position without the violation of control input constraints; (2) high-order derivatives of positions are not required in its implementation. The Hoppensteadt's Theorem is employed to show that the proposed saturated controller renders the UELS semiglobally asymptotically stable about the desired set point with the satisfaction of control input constraints. The control effectiveness is validated by simulations on a two-link compliant robot arm.

Composite Learning Enhanced Robot Impedance Control.

The desired impedance dynamics can be achieved for a robot if and only if an impedance error converges to zero or a small neighborhood of zero. Although the convergence of impedance errors is important, it is seldom obtained in the existing impedance controllers due to robots modeling uncertainties and external disturbances. This brief proposes two composite learning impedance controllers (CLICs) for robots with parameter uncertainties based on whether a factorization assumption is satisfied or not. In the proposed control designs, the convergence of impedance errors, reflected by the convergence of parameter estimation errors and some auxiliary errors, is achieved by using composite learning laws under a relaxed excitation condition. The theoretical results are proven based on the Lyapunov theory. The effectiveness and advantages of the proposed CLICs are validated by simulations on a parallel robot in three cases.

Composite learning from adaptive backstepping neural network control.

In existing neural network (NN) learning control methods, the trajectory of NN inputs must be recurrent to satisfy a stringent condition termed persistent excitation (PE) so that NN parameter convergence is obtainable. This paper focuses on command-filtered backstepping adaptive control for a class of strict-feedback nonlinear systems with functional uncertainties, where an NN composite learning technique is proposed to guarantee convergence of NN weights to their ideal values without the PE condition. In the NN composite learning, spatially localized NN approximation is employed to handle functional uncertainties, online historical data together with instantaneous data are exploited to generate prediction errors, and both tracking errors and prediction errors are employed to update NN weights. The influence of NN approximation errors on the control performance is also clearly shown. The distinctive feature of the proposed NN composite learning is that NN parameter convergence is guaranteed without the requirement of the trajectory of NN inputs being recurrent. Illustrative results have verified effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method compared with existing NN learning control methods.

Peaking-Free Output-Feedback Adaptive Neural Control Under a Nonseparation Principle.

High-gain observers have been extensively applied to construct output-feedback adaptive neural control (ANC) for a class of feedback linearizable uncertain nonlinear systems under a nonlinear separation principle. Yet due to static-gain and linear properties, high-gain observers are usually subject to peaking responses and noise sensitivity. Existing adaptive neural network (NN) observers cannot effectively relax the limitations of high-gain observers. This paper presents an output-feedback indirect ANC strategy under a nonseparation principle, where a hybrid estimation scheme that integrates an adaptive NN observer with state variable filters is proposed to estimate plant states. By applying a single Lyapunov function candidate to the entire system, it is proved that the closed-loop system achieves practical asymptotic stability under a relatively low observer gain dominated by controller parameters. Our approach can completely avoid peaking responses without control saturation while keeping favourable noise rejection ability. Simulation results have shown effectiveness and superiority of this approach.

Global asymptotic stabilization using adaptive fuzzy PD control.

It is well-known that standard adaptive fuzzy control (AFC) can only guarantee uniformly ultimately bounded stability due to inherent fuzzy approximation errors (FAEs). This paper proves that standard AFC with proportional-derivative (PD) control can guarantee global asymptotic stabilization even in the presence of FAEs for a class of uncertain affine nonlinear systems. Variable-gain PD control is designed to globally stabilize the plant. An optimal FAE is shown to be bounded by the norm of the plant state vector multiplied by a globally invertible and nondecreasing function, which provides a pivotal property for stability analysis. Without discontinuous control compensation, the closed-loop system achieves global and partially asymptotic stability in the sense that all plant states converge to zero. Compared with previous adaptive approximation-based global/asymptotic stabilization approaches, the major advantage of our approach is that global stability and asymptotic stabilization are achieved concurrently by a much simpler control law. Illustrative examples have further verified the theoretical results.

Composite adaptive fuzzy control for synchronizing generalized Lorenz systems.

This paper presents a methodology of asymptotically synchronizing two uncertain generalized Lorenz systems via a single continuous composite adaptive fuzzy controller (AFC). To facilitate controller design, the synchronization problem is transformed into the stabilization problem by feedback linearization. To achieve asymptotic tracking performance, a key property of the optimal fuzzy approximation error is exploited by the Mean Value Theorem. The composite AFC, which utilizes both tracking and modeling error feedbacks, is constructed by introducing a series-parallel identification model into an indirect AFC. It is proved that the closed-loop system achieves asymptotic stability under a sufficient gain condition. Furthermore, the proposed approach cannot only synchronize two different chaotic systems but also significantly reduce computational complexity and implemented cost. Simulation studies further demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.