Image-Based Path-Planning for Navigation of Soft-Growing Robots in the Spinal Sub-Arachnoid Space

What happened

arXiv:2610.12631v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Recently, soft robotic procedures are being developed aiming at achieving targeted minimally invasive operations or drug administration in specific locations in the human body. The proposed algorithm is capable of estimating a safe pathway towards the goal location, while ensuring the establishment of anchor points that facilitate the efficient steering of the soft robot.

Accordingly, specialized path-planning algorithms need to be investigated for the estimation of efficient paths that would protect the delicate tissue structures and simultaneously satisfy a set of requirements for the efficient navigation of the robot. The algorithm is evaluated using a highly detailed model of the SSS with respect to its capacity to satisfy the robot movement requirements and path efficiency.