Multi-Strategy Enhanced Particle Swarm Optimization for Variable Curvature Path Planning in Flexible Needle Insertion
Yanding Qin, Jianing Teng, Chao Wen, Ge Fang, Hongpeng Wang, Jianda Han · IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters · 2025
Flexible needles provide enhanced adaptability for navigating puncture pathways and avoiding obstacles when compared to conventional rigid needles. However, developing a three dimensional (3D) curved path for flexible needle is challenging, particularly in achieving both effective obstacle avoidance and precise targeting. To this end, we proposed an improved particle swarm optimization-based path planning approach by incorporating good point set initialization and heuristic multi-mutation strategy. Such incorporation greatly enhanced the algorithm's global search capability while ensuring fast convergence speed. In addition, 3D biarc curve fitting was employed to develop a kinematically reachable path for bevel tip needles. Obstacle-avoidance simulations conducted demonstrate the superior performance of proposed method against state-of-the-art algorithms in the aspect of path length and distance to obstacles, repeatability and local minima trap avoidance. Needle puncturing experiments performed using duty cycling control achieved a small curvature radius of 49.6 mm and targeting errors of less than 4 mm. This algorithm facilitates efficient variable curvature path planning for flexible needles, ensuring precise targeting while effectively avoiding obstacles.