Continuum Robots in Surgery: From Engineering Design to Clinical Practice

Over the past decades, continuum robots have made significant advancements, yet are still minimally used in industry. The medical field has demonstrated growing interest in these robots, particularly in research but clinical translation has been limited. Their hyper‐redundant structures enable infinite degrees of freedom, offering a wide range of benefits. Specifically, continuum robots are able to navigate torturous pathways reaching deep areas of the body with improved dexterity and minimal risk. This review provides a historical overview of continuum robots and highlights key innovations that have shaped their development. The history also traces the emergence of robotic‐assisted surgery, contextualizing the clinical motivation for the rise of continuum robots. It examines the fundamentals of continuum robot design including structural configurations, sensing technology, modeling techniques, and control strategies. Together, these provide an in‐depth understanding of continuum robots and the common underlying principles as a guide for their future design. The review also discusses medical considerations, current clinical applications, and major challenges that continue to limit the widespread adoption of continuum robots. With decades of development in continuum robots, synthesizing this information is crucial to improving accessibility in the field and fostering continued research and innovation in these highly promising medical systems.