关键词： Xi   Robotic   Laparoscopic   Right hemicolectomy   Intracorporeal anastomosis  

摘要： Comparisons between robotic and laparoscopic right hemicolectomy have been confounded by variations in operative technique. This study evaluates the two procedures after standardizing the intraoperative steps and perioperative management. Patients who underwent robotic right hemicolectomy with intracorporeal bowel anastomosis between July 2015 and June 2017 were matched with a laparoscopic group. Perioperative management was in accordance to an enhanced recovery protocol. Outcomes and histopathological data were compared. Thirty-two patients were included. Amongst the patients who did not undergo complete mesocolic excision, the median operative time did not differ between the two groups (p=0.413). The robotic group recorded a statistically shorter time for intracorporeal anastomosis (13 vs 19min, p=0.024). Postoperative recovery and complication rates were similar, except for a greater lymph node harvest in the robotic group (41 vs 31, p=0.038). Robotic surgery achieves short-term results comparable to existing conventional laparoscopy, notwithstanding the advantages of enhanced ergonomics.

关键词： Elastomer   Force sensor   Optical fiber   MATLAB analysis   FEM analysis   ANSYS simulation   LabVIEW   Biomedical robotics  

摘要： Miniaturized and smart sensors are required for research in biology, physiology, and biomechanics, and they have extremely important clinical applications for diagnostics and minimally invasive surgery. Fiber optic sensors have been proven to provide advantages compared to conventional sensors and high potential for biomechanical and biomedical applications. They are small, easy to operate, minimally invasive with low risk, more accurate, and inexpensive. This paper reports the design and modeling of a fiber optic force sensor that is capable of measuring compliance for a contact force of up to 1 N. The main objective of this study is to design and model a fiber optic sensor capable of measuring the total force applied on an object. A polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer film with a thickness of 1.2 mm is placed between an optical fiber tip and an object, and it is used for measuring the force applied on a rigid element. The compliance of the fiber optic force sensor is measured by recording the response of PDMS elastomer films under different load conditions. We use finite element modeling results as a basis for comparing experimental data. The agreement between theoretical predictions and experimental data is reasonable and within an acceptable range.

关键词： NIST Standards   Robots   Smart manufacturing  

摘要： The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is dedicated to advancing measurement science, technology, and standards, thus promoting innovation and industry competitiveness. In particular, the Robot Systems for Smart Manufacturing (RSSM) program within NIST’s Engineering Laboratory focuses on advancing measurement science for industrial robot systems, specifically to address issues that may hinder ease of adoption and advances in the performance of robotic technologies. Robotic systems are an essential tool for strengthening manufacturing competitiveness in our rapidly changing global economy.

关键词： Computer navigation   Patient specific implants   Robotics   Total hip arthroplasty  

摘要： Accurate implant positioning and restoration of native hip biomechanics are important technical objectives in total hip arthroplasty (THA). Evolution in surgical technology for THA has led to the development of individualised components and computer-assisted surgery, which aim to improve the accuracy and reproducibility of achieving these objectives compared to conventional manual THA. This chapter discusses the role of robotics, navigation, and patient-specific implants for delivering a patient-specific surgical plan, and explores how this technology may be adapted to execute individualised plans for optimal implant positioning based on dynamic changes in spinopelvic relations. © 2019 Elsevier Inc.

关键词： Controllability   Safety constraints   Invariance problems   Robotics   Quadrotors   Obstacle avoidance   Reference feasibility  

摘要： This paper studies the problem of constructing in-block controllable (IBC) regions for affine systems. That is, we are concerned with constructing regions in the state space of affine systems such that all the states in the interior of the region are mutually accessible within the region's interior by applying uniformly bounded inputs. We first show that existing results for checking in-block controllability on given polytopic regions cannot be easily extended to address the question of constructing IBC regions. We then explore the geometry of the problem to provide a computationally efficient algorithm for constructing IBC regions. We also prove the soundness of the algorithm. We then use the proposed algorithm to construct safe speed profiles for robotic systems. As a case study, we present several experimental results on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm;these results include using the proposed algorithm for real-time collision avoidance for UAVs. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

关键词： Elementary education   Secondary education   Improving classroom teaching   Pedagogical issues   Teaching/learning strategies  

摘要： This paper aims to review high-qualified empirical studies on teaching and learning robotics content knowledge in K-12 and explore future research perspectives of robotics education (RE) based on the reviewed papers. After a systematic search in online database via keyword search and snowballing approach, 22 SSCI journal papers are included in this review. Nine major factors are examined for each paper: sample groups, duration, robot types, robotics content knowledge, study type, intervention approaches, measurement instruments, major findings and instructional suggestions. The results indicate that: (1) most empirical studies were endured less than two months with a small sample size, the largest sample group was elementary school students, and most studies used LEGO robots;(2) more than half of the studies conducted a non-experimental research design, and observation, questionnaire, interview and evaluation of artifacts are commonly-used measurement instruments;and (3) instructional suggestions proposed in the 22 papers can be clustered into four themes: open environment, targeted design, appropriate pedagogy and timely support. Overall, the 22 papers suggest that RE shows great educational potential in K-12, however, there are indeed situations in which RE did not bring significant improvement in student learning. In view of this, we prospect the future research directions of RE and propose that more intervention studies with rigorous research design could be conducted in K-12.

关键词： Evolutionary robotics (ER)   Evolutionary-aided design   Morphology evolution   Co-evolution  

摘要： The evolutionary-aided design process is a method to find solutions to design and optimisation problems. Evolutionary algorithms (EAs) are applied to search for optimal solutions from a solution space that evolves over several generations. EAs have found applications in many areas of robotics. This paper covers the efforts to determine body morphology of robots through evolution and body morphology with the controller of robots or similar creatures through co-evolution. The works are reviewed from the perspective of how different algorithms are applied and includes a brief explanation of how they are implemented.

摘要： Tactile feedback is needed for the interaction of humans with a worn device, and to enable robots to gather environmental cues and react to their surroundings [...].

关键词： Robotics   Robots   Trademarks   Automation   Patents   Shutdowns  

摘要： The article reports that Hahn Group, a German-based collection of robotics and automation companies, has purchased all patents and trademarks of Rethink Robotics along with its Intera 5 software platform for robot programming.

关键词： Robotics  

摘要： Reports on the formation of the RAS Industrial Activities Board (IAB). The mission of the IAB is to act as a liaison to industry in the robotics and automation domain; this includes robot manufacturers as much as it does companies applying robotics and automation technologies somewhere in their product lifecycle.