Abstract: A material-mapped actuator useful as, or as part of, a soft robot along with automated methods of design and manufacture. The actuator exhibits mechanical properties that spatially vary along a coordinate system of the actuator. The actuator body has an initial shape with a corresponding initial map of mechanical attributes consisting of locally-varying stiffness at each point in a volume of the actuator body. The actuator is configured to change to a different shape or distribution of mechanical properties upon being activated by an actuation medium. The map of mechanical attributes influences and determines the new shape or distribution. The material-mapped actuator can incorporate a spatially-varying distribution of mechanical properties that dictates multiple desired shapes as the actuation medium is applied, including an actuation sequence in which the actuator transitions from a first shape to a desired intermediate shape(s), and from the intermediate shape to a desired final shape.

Abstract: A material-mapped actuator useful as, or as part of, a soft robot along with automated methods of design and manufacture. The actuator exhibits mechanical properties that spatially vary along a coordinate system of the actuator. The actuator body has an initial shape with a corresponding initial map of mechanical attributes consisting of locally-varying stiffness at each point in a volume of the actuator body. The actuator is configured to change to a different shape or distribution of mechanical properties upon being activated by an actuation medium. The map of mechanical attributes influences and determines the new shape or distribution. The material-mapped actuator can incorporate a spatially-varying distribution of mechanical properties that dictates multiple desired shapes as the actuation medium is applied, including an actuation sequence in which the actuator transitions from a first shape to a desired intermediate shape(s), and from the intermediate shape to a desired final shape.

Abstract: The present technology is directed to motion and video capture for tracking and evaluating robotic surgery. In one embodiment, the system includes at least one tracking device coupled to a remote surgical tool. The tracking device is configured to use one or more sensors to sense one or more physical variables such as movement and electrical contact. In some embodiments, the data from multiple individual sensors is synchronized, received, and stored by a digital information system. The digital information system is configured to analyze the data to objectively assess surgical skill.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for evaluating surgical skills. A computing device can receive a request to evaluate media content of surgical skills with an evaluation form for evaluating the surgical skills. The computing device can determine evaluator groups. The computing device can provide the media content and the evaluation form to each evaluator group. The computing device can receive evaluations of the surgical skills from at least one evaluator of each evaluator group. Each evaluation can include at least one partially-completed evaluation form. The computing device can determine, for each evaluator group, one or more per-group scores of the surgical skills, where the per-group scores for a designated evaluation group are based on an analysis of the evaluations of the surgical skills from the evaluators in the designated evaluation group. The computing device can provide the one or more per-group scores.

Abstract: The present technology is directed to motion and video capture for tracking and evaluating robotic surgery. In one embodiment, the system includes at least one tracking device coupled to a remote surgical tool. The tracking device is configured to use one or more sensors to sense one or more physical variables such as movement and electrical contact. In some embodiments, the data from multiple individual sensors is synchronized, received, and stored by a digital information system. The digital information system is configured to analyze the data to objectively assess surgical skill.