Abstract: An over-actuated system [304], such as a catheter, having shape memory alloy (SMA) hysteretic wire actuators is controlled using a controller [300, 302] that generates a control signal [310] based on a temperature model that takes into account physical limitations of the SMA hysteretic wire actuators, and based on a hysteresis model (e.g., the Duhem model) that describes hysteresis behavior of the SMA hysteretic wire actuators. The controller preferably includes a feedback controller [302] and a reference governor [300] that generates a smart reference signal [308] from a reference signal [306] representing a desired value of an output of the system. The smart reference signal preferably minimizes an error between the reference signal and an achievable output, and the control signal preferably is generated based on the smart reference signal.

Abstract: Device 1 for fixation to the skull 2 of a patient that can serve as a fiducial marker in scan guided surgical operations using a surgical instrument. The device 1 comprises a material translucent for the applied electromagnetic waves of the scan and a fiducial marker and where the device 1 comprises means to fixate the device in a well-defined manner to the surgical instrument.

Abstract: Stepper motor with a housing 1,2,4,6,16, in which a cylindrical rotor 11,15 fixed on a central shaft 12 can rotate but not translate along an axial direction. There are cylindrical translators 9, 14 on both sides of the rotors 11, 15, where the translators 9, 14 are sealed fit in a cylindrical space within the housing 6 and around the central shaft 12 and where the translators 9, 14 can only translate in an axial direction, where in one axial position of a translator 9, 14 a set of triangular asymmetric teeth 20 located on the translator 9, 14 can interact and fit into a set of triangular asymmetric teeth 21 on the rotor 11, 15, where the shape of the teeth 21 on both sides of the rotor 11, 15 is symmetric and where one of the sets of teeth 20, 21 between one translator 9 (14) and the rotor 11 (15) and a set of teeth 20, 21 between the other translator 9 (14) and the rotor 11 (15) are tangentially shifted, i.e.

Abstract: Device 1 for fixation to the skull 2 of a patient that can serve as a fiducial marker in scan guided surgical operations using a surgical instrument. The device 1 comprises a material translucent for the applied electromagnetic waves of the scan and a fiducial marker and where the device 1 comprises means to fixate the device in a well-defined manner to the surgical instrument.

Abstract: Stepper motor with a housing 1,2,4,6,16, in which a cylindrical rotor 11,15 fixed on a central shaft 12 can rotate but not translate along an axial direction. There are cylindrical translators 9, 14 on both sides of the rotors 11, 15, where the translators 9, 14 are sealed fit in a cylindrical space within the housing 6 and around the central shaft 12 and where the translators 9, 14 can only translate in an axial direction, where in one axial position of a translator 9, 14 a set of triangular asymmetric teeth 20 located on the translator 9, 14 can interact and fit into a set of triangular asymmetric teeth 21 on the rotor 11, 15, where the shape of the teeth 21 on both sides of the rotor 11, 15 is symmetric and where one of the sets of teeth 20, 21 between one translator 9 (14) and the rotor 11 (15) and a set of teeth 20, 21 between the other translator 9 (14) and the rotor 11 (15) are tangentially shifted, i.e.

Abstract: Robot 1 for bone removal from the skull 2 of a patient which robot 1 comprises a base 3 connected to a robotic arm 4 comprising a series of joints 5 to 11, where the first joint 5 of the series is connected to the base 3 and the last joint 11 of the series is connected to a surgical instrument 12, so that the series of joints 5 to 11 provide degrees of freedom on different axes to the surgical instrument 12, which robot 1 is provided with a headrest 13 for the skull 2, where the headrest 13 is directly fixated to or is integrated in the base 3 of the robot, next to the first joint 5 of the series 5 to 11.