Review of control methods for flexible steerable needle path

Flexible steerable needle puncture is a key technique in minimally invasive surgery and has brought about significant changes in clinical surgical applications. However, precise control of the needle’s path remains a central challenge, hindering its broader clinical adoption. In this review, the main obstacles in clinical path control, the uncertainty during puncture, were identified. Then, key factors influencing the needle path and methods for modeling the puncture process were summarized. The control strategies were categorized into passive control methods, active control methods, hybrid control methods, and their respective strengths and limitations were analyzed. Hybrid control methods integrate the advantages such as controllability, flexibility, security of the active and passive methods. Furthermore, emerging trends are discussed in the application of bionic structures, real-time imaging techniques, and AI driven algorithms in enhancing the controllability of flexible steerable needle and improving control accuracy and prediction.