4. Path planning

In order to direct the robot to its target in the presence of sensitive anatomical structures, a trajectory planner based on the patient's anatomy is essential. The trajectory planner calculates the optimal joint sequence that enables the robot's end effector to reach the desired position. The calculation of the optimal actuation sequence is highly dependent on the robot's geometric model. The evolution of trajectory planners for RTCs has followed the evolution of their geometric modeling.

These planners have been dedicated to several different medical applications. In this section, existing trajectory planners for RTCs are outlined with a discussion of the specificity of each work presented.

The first work in trajectory planning for RTCs was introduced by Lyons et al.