Toward Autonomous Medical Robots: A Review of AI Guidance for Medical Motion Planning

Medical robots capable of autonomously performing interventional and surgical procedures are becoming a reality. Autonomous medical robots promise enhanced accuracy, reduced medical errors, improved accessibility to specialized care, and lower healthcare costs through efficient, minimally invasive procedures. This review examines motion planning as a fundamental building block enabling autonomous medical robots. Motion planning aims to compute high-quality and safe motions for robotic instruments to accomplish interventional and surgical procedures while considering anatomical constraints and physical limitations. We categorize medical robot motion planning into navigation planning (maneuvering instruments to targets via intratissue or endoluminal paths) and manipulation planning (tissue interaction through contact or contact-free approaches). We frame motion planning as a type of AI guidance that can enable eyes-on/hands-off automation. We review state-of-the-art methods in navigation and manipulation planning for medical robots, discuss challenges to clinical adoption, and explore future opportunities for autonomous medical robots.