3-D Path Planning Using Improved RRT* Algorithm for Robot-Assisted Flexible Needle Insertion in Multilayer Tissues

In the field of minimally invasive surgery, flexible needles can avoid blood vessels and organs more flexibly compared to rigid needles. One of the main challenges when using flexible needles to reach lesions is planning a suitable path. Due to the non-holonomic characteristic of the flexible needle dynamics and the tissue deformation caused by the needle tip during the insertion, the accessibility and safety of the needle’s states need to be considered in the path planning stage. In this article, we propose an adaptable algorithm by improving the canonical rapidly exploring random trees* (RRT*) algorithm to compute a path for the flexible needle to reach targets in a layered tissue environment. The improved RRT* algorithm that addresses the motion constraints of the flexible needle renders the computed path comparatively smoother and optimal in some approximation sense. In the proposed algorithm, a strategy of adapting some of its parameters for different tissues during the insertion is developed, which improves the safety of surgeries. Moreover, the path cost used in the algorithm takes the potential fields of surrounding obstacles into account, which is used to deal with the influence of the local movement of tissues during the needle puncture process. Simulations are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. The results show that the improved RRT* algorithm generates a smooth and safe path which satisfies the motion constraints of the flexible needle in layered tissue environment.