arXiv subjects

Agostino Stilli

Publications and source records attributed to Agostino Stilli.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Point Tracking in Surgery--The 2025 Surgical Tattoos in Infrared Challenge (STIRC2025)

Point tracking in surgery is crucial to enable applications in downstream tasks such as segmentation, 3D reconstruction, virtual tissue landmarking, autonomous probe-based scanning, and subtask autonomy. This paper introduces the 2025 iteration of a point tracking challenge to address this, wherein participants submit their algorithms for quantification. Their algorithms are evaluated using a dataset named surgical tattoos in infrared (STIR), with the challenge named the STIR Challenge 2025 (STIRC2025). The STIR Challenge 2025 comprises two quantitative components: accuracy and efficiency. The accuracy component tests the accuracy of algorithms on in vivo and ex vivo sequences. The efficiency component tests algorithm inference latency. The challenge was conducted as a part of MICCAI EndoVis 2025, and seven teams participated in this challenge. In this paper we summarize the challenge results and participant methods. The challenge dataset is available at: https://zenodo.org/records/20191078, and the code for baseline models and metrics calculation is available here: https://github.com/athaddius/STIRMetrics

cs.CV↗

arXiv2026

Design, Modelling and Characterisation of a Miniature Fibre-Reinforced Soft Bending Actuator for Endoluminal Interventions

Miniaturised soft pneumatic actuators are crucial for robotic intervention within highly constrained anatomical pathways. This work presents the design and validation of a fibre-reinforced soft actuator at the centimetre scale for inte- gration into an endoluminal robotic platform for natural-orifice interventional and diagnostic applications. A single-chamber geometry reinforced with embedded Kevlar fibre was de- signed to maximise curvature while preserving sealing integrity, fabricated using a multi-stage multi-stiffness silicone casting process, and validated against a high-fidelity Abaqus FEM using experimentally parametrised hyperelastic material models and embedded beam reinforcement. The semi-cylindrical actuator has an outer diameter of 18,mm and a length of 37.5,mm. Single and double helix winding configurations, fibre pitch, and fibre density were investigated. The optimal 100 SH configuration achieved a bending angle of 202.9° experimentally and 297.6° in simulation, with structural robustness maintained up to 100,kPa and radial expansion effectively constrained by the fibre reinforcement. Workspace evaluation confirmed suitability for integration into the target device envelope, demonstrating that fibre-reinforcement strategies can be effectively translated to the centimetre regime while retaining actuator performance.

cs.RO↗

arXiv2025

Automated Cervical Os Segmentation for Camera-Guided, Speculum-Free Screening

Cervical cancer is highly preventable, yet persistent barriers to screening limit progress toward elimination goals. Speculum-free devices that integrate imaging and sampling could improve access, particularly in low-resource settings, but require reliable visual guidance. This study evaluates deep learning methods for real-time segmentation of the cervical os in transvaginal endoscopic images. Five encoder-decoder architectures were compared using 913 frames from 200 cases in the IARC Cervical Image Dataset, annotated by gynaecologists. Performance was assessed using IoU, DICE, detection rate, and distance metrics with ten-fold cross-validation. EndoViT/DPT, a vision transformer pre-trained on surgical video, achieved the highest DICE (0.50 \pm 0.31) and detection rate (0.87 \pm 0.33), outperforming CNN-based approaches. External validation with phantom data demonstrated robust segmentation under variable conditions at 21.5 FPS, supporting real-time feasibility. These results establish a foundation for integrating automated os recognition into speculum-free cervical screening devices to support non-expert use in both high- and low-resource contexts.

eess.IV↗

arXiv2022

Organ Shape Sensing using Pneumatically Attachable Flexible Rails in Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Surgery

In robotic-assisted partial nephrectomy, surgeons remove a part of a kidney often due to the presence of a mass. A drop-in ultrasound probe paired to a surgical robot is deployed to execute multiple swipes over the kidney surface to localise the mass and define the margins of resection. This sub-task is challenging and must be performed by a highly skilled surgeon. Automating this sub-task may reduce cognitive load for the surgeon and improve patient outcomes. The overall goal of this work is to autonomously move the ultrasound probe on the surface of the kidney taking advantage of the use of the Pneumatically Attachable Flexible (PAF) rail system, a soft robotic device used for organ scanning and repositioning. First, we integrate a shape-sensing optical fibre into the PAF rail system to evaluate the curvature of target organs in robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery. Then, we investigate the impact of the stiffness of the material of the PAF rail on the curvature sensing accuracy, considering that soft targets are present in the surgical field. Finally, we use shape sensing to plan the trajectory of the da Vinci surgical robot paired with a drop-in ultrasound probe and autonomously generate an Ultrasound scan of a kidney phantom.

cs.RO↗

arXiv2022

Design and Evaluation of the SoftSCREEN Capsule for Colonoscopy

Colonoscopy is considered the golden standard for cancer screening of the lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract, with screening programs all over the world considering lowering the recommended screening age. Nonetheless, conventional colonoscopy can cause discomfort to patients due to the forces occurring between colonoscopes and the walls of the colon. Robotic solutions have been proposed to reduce discomfort, and improve accessibility and image quality. Aiming at addressing the limitations of traditional and robotic colonoscopy, in this paper, we present the SoftSCREEN System, a novel Soft Shapeshifting Capsule Robot for Endoscopy based on Eversion Navigation. A plurality of tracks surrounds the body of the system. These tracks are driven by a single motor paired with a worm gear and evert from the internal rigid chassis, enabling fullbody track-based navigation. Two inflatable toroidal chambers enclosing this rigid chassis and passing through the tracks, cause them to displace when inflated. This displacement can be used to regulate the contact with the surrounding wall, thus enabling traction control and adjustment of the overall system diameter to match the local lumen size. The design of the first tethered prototype at 2:1 scale of the SoftSCREEN system is presented in this work. The experimental results show efficient navigation capabilities for different lumen diameters and curvatures, paving the way for a novel robot capable of robust navigation and reliable control of the imaging, with potential for applications beyond colonoscopy, including gastroscopy and capsule endoscopy.

cs.RO↗

arXiv2021

Accelerating Surgical Robotics Research: A Review of 10 Years With the da Vinci Research Kit

Robotic-assisted surgery is now well-established in clinical practice and has become the gold standard clinical treatment option for several clinical indications. The field of robotic-assisted surgery is expected to grow substantially in the next decade with a range of new robotic devices emerging to address unmet clinical needs across different specialities. A vibrant surgical robotics research community is pivotal for conceptualizing such new systems as well as for developing and training the engineers and scientists to translate them into practice. The da Vinci Research Kit (dVRK), an academic and industry collaborative effort to re-purpose decommissioned da Vinci surgical systems (Intuitive Surgical Inc, CA, USA) as a research platform for surgical robotics research, has been a key initiative for addressing a barrier to entry for new research groups in surgical robotics. In this paper, we present an extensive review of the publications that have been facilitated by the dVRK over the past decade. We classify research efforts into different categories and outline some of the major challenges and needs for the robotics community to maintain this initiative and build upon it.

cs.RO↗