In this paper, we describe the state of the art in continuum robot manipulators and systems
intended for application to interventional medicine. Inspired by biological trunks, tentacles …

Continuum robots are not constructed with discrete joints but, instead, change shape and
position their tip by flexing along their entire length. Their narrow curvilinear shape makes …

Traditional rigid robot application in the medical field is limited due to the limited degrees of
freedom caused by their material and structure. Inspired by trunk, tentacles, and snakes …

Continuum robots are constructed from flexible materials, possess slender shapes, and can
perform complex 3D motion. With their miniaturization capacity, high dexterity, and lack of …

In this paper, we investigate continuum manipulators that are analogous to conventional
rigid-link parallel robot designs. These “parallel continuum manipulators” have the potential …

With the maturity of surgical robotic systems based on traditional rigid-link principles, the rate
of progress slowed as limits of size and controllable degrees of freedom were reached …

This paper introduces three algorithms which are essential for the practical, real-time
implementation of continuum robots. Continuum robots lack the joints and links which …

Herein, recent advances, current limitations, and open challenges in the design, modeling,
and control of continuum robots are discussed. Thanks to their lean bodies, these robots …

This paper presents a literature survey documenting the evolution of continuum robots over
the past two decades (1999–present). Attention is paid to bioinspired soft robots with respect …

This paper introduces the first stiffness controller for continuum robots. The control law is
based on an accurate approximation of a continuum robot's coupled kinematic and static …