Abstract: A surgical robotic system automatically calibrates tubular and flexible surgical tools such as endoscopes. By accounting for nonlinear behavior of an endoscope, the surgical robotic system can accurately model motions of the endoscope and navigate the endoscope while performing a surgical procedure on a patient. The surgical robotic system models the nonlinearities using sets of calibration parameters determined based on images captured by an image sensor of the endoscope. Calibration parameters can describe translational or rotational movements of the endoscope in one or more axis, e.g., pitch and yaw, as well as a slope, hysteresis, or dead zone value corresponding to the endoscope's motion. The endoscope can include tubular components referred to as a sheath and leader. An instrument device manipulator of the surgical robotic system actuates pull wires coupled to the sheath or the leader, which causes the endoscope to articulate.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to data converters for electronic systems. An example system includes a primary analog to digital converter (ADC) circuit, a slope calculation circuit, a digital phase lock loop (DPLL) circuit, a sampling error circuit, and a summing circuit. The primary ADC circuit samples an input signal and produces a digital output signal representative of the input signal. The slope calculation circuit generates a digital slope signal representative of slope of the input signal, and the DPLL circuit provides a sampling clock signal to the primary ADC circuit. The sampling error circuit generates a sampling error signal representative of sampling error by the primary ADC circuit using the digital slope signal and the sampling clock signal. The summing circuit receives the sampling error signal and the digital output signal of the primary ADC circuit and generates an adjusted digital output signal representative of the input signal.

Abstract: A method for capturing an object in a cavity in a patient is described. The method includes advancing a ureteroscope into the cavity containing the object. A basket is advanced through a working channel of the ureteroscope. The basket is opened within the cavity and is positioned so as to enclose the object. Then, two actions are performed simultaneously. The basket is collapsed while simultaneously the basket tool is advanced forward so that the object remains within the basket, ideally near the center of the basket, as the basket closes around the object. Once the object is captured, the basket is retracted to remove the object out of the cavity. Further, this process may be automated by having the method carried out by robotic arms acting in tandem, with one or more robotic arms advancing the basket tool or ureteroscope, and another robotic arm collapsing the basket.

Abstract: A method for capturing an object in a cavity in a patient is described. The method includes advancing a ureteroscope into the cavity containing the object. A basket is advanced through a working channel of the ureteroscope. The basket is opened within the cavity and is positioned so as to enclose the object. Then, two actions are performed simultaneously. The basket is collapsed while simultaneously the basket tool is advanced forward so that the object remains within the basket, ideally near the center of the basket, as the basket closes around the object. Once the object is captured, the basket is retracted to remove the object out of the cavity. Further, this process may be automated by having the method carried out by robotic arms acting in tandem, with one or more robotic arms advancing the basket tool or ureteroscope, and another robotic arm collapsing the basket.

Abstract: A method for capturing an object in a cavity in a patient is described. The method includes advancing a ureteroscope into the cavity containing the object. A basket is advanced through a working channel of the ureteroscope. The basket is opened within the cavity and is positioned so as to enclose the object. Then, two actions are performed simultaneously. The basket is collapsed while simultaneously the basket tool is advanced forward so that the object remains within the basket, ideally near the center of the basket, as the basket closes around the object. Once the object is captured, the basket is retracted to remove the object out of the cavity. Further, this process may be automated by having the method carried out by robotic arms acting in tandem, with one or more robotic arms advancing the basket tool or ureteroscope, and another robotic arm collapsing the basket.

Abstract: Lyrics associated with songs are processed to generate a probabilistic topic model that includes probabilities for terms of the lyrics with respect to one or more predetermined topics. At a later time, a user may desire to hear songs that are associated with a particular term, and may submit the term using a user interface. When the term is received, the probabilities of the probabilistic model are used to identify a topic of the predetermined topics that is most likely associated with the received term. The probabilistic model is used to identify songs that are associated with the identified topic, and some or all of the identified songs are presented as being related to the received term in the user interface.

Abstract: A surgical robotic system automatically calibrates tubular and flexible surgical tools such as endoscopes. By accounting for nonlinear behavior of an endoscope, the surgical robotic system can accurately model motions of the endoscope and navigate the endoscope while performing a surgical procedure on a patient. The surgical robotic system models the nonlinearities using sets of calibration parameters determined based on images captured by an image sensor of the endoscope. Calibration parameters can describe translational or rotational movements of the endoscope in one or more axis, e.g., pitch and yaw, as well as a slope, hysteresis, or dead zone value corresponding to the endoscope's motion. The endoscope can include tubular components referred to as a sheath and leader. An instrument device manipulator of the surgical robotic system actuates pull wires coupled to the sheath or the leader, which causes the endoscope to articulate.