IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - June 2017 - 23

addresses this by providing real-time path planning
for concentric tube robots that uses modern high-
performance programming to determine the opti-
mal path for the robot.
Imaging and sensing are key components of
surgical robotics. As each imaging and sensing
technique provides different information about the
tissue and has different strengths and weaknesses,
it is often desirable to fuse together the data pro-
vided by individual techniques. The work in "A
Breakthrough in Tumor Localization" by A. Naidu
et al. shows how this approach of combined imag-
ing and sensing can be put to good use by combin-
ing an ultrasound device for imaging the structure
below the tissue surface with a pressure sensing
array that can be used to perform robotic palpa-
tion. The combination of being able to see the
underlying structure with ultrasound with the
ability to feel tissue characteristics allows for bet-
ter identification of cancerous lesions deep within
the body. Another example of combined imaging
for surgical robotics is the work of L. Zhang et al.
in the article "From Macro to Micro" that com-
bines the techniques of high-resolution probe-
based confocal laser endomicroscopy and optical
coherence tomography.
Compared with traditional surgical techniques,
surgical robotics is still a relatively niche technology
that is currently only widely available in wealthy
nations. For it to have a truly global impact, the tech-
nology needs to be made cheaper and more accessi-
ble. To this end, the final article in this special issue,
"Gastric Cancer Screening in Low-Income Countries"
by F. Campisano et al., presents a low-cost surgical
robot technology that uses pressurized water to con-
trol the motion of a robot catheter. By replacing
expensive actuation mechanisms with a more afford-
able alternative, it is possible to create a surgical robot
that is cheap enough to treat diseases that affect some
of the poorest people on the planet.
The work in this special issue was presented at the
Surgical Robot Challenge, an annual international
competition that is organized by the U.K. Engineering
and Physical Sciences Research Council Robotics &
Autonomous Systems Network as part of U.K. Robotics
Week (www.roboticsweek.uk). The competition
involves teams bringing their surgical robots from
around the world to London to demonstrate their
innovation to pioneers and leaders of the field. The
final of this year's competition takes place in London
on Sunday, 25 June 2017.

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - June 2017
