Soft Robotics for Single-Port Surgery and Endoluminal Applications

Soft robotics is emerging as a transformative field in minimally invasive surgery (MIS), particularly for single-port and endoluminal applications where flexibility, adaptability, and safe interaction with delicate anatomical structures are essential. In contrast to conventional rigid robotic systems, soft robotic devices can conform to complex anatomical pathways, reduce tissue trauma, and improve access to confined or tortuous surgical spaces. These characteristics are especially relevant for natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES), advanced therapeutic endoscopy, endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM), transanal interventions, and other intraluminal robotic procedures. Recent advances in soft actuators, variable stiffness technologies, compliant materials, embedded sensing, miniaturized robotic platforms, image-guided navigation, and artificial intelligence are accelerating the development of next-generation surgical tools. However, important challenges remain, including force transmission, precision control, sterilization, durability, regulatory approval, clinical validation, and integration into established surgical workflows.

This Research Topic aims to provide a comprehensive and interdisciplinary overview of soft robotics for single-port surgery and endoluminal applications, focusing on technological innovation, clinical translation, and future directions. The objective is to bring together high-quality contributions that explore the design, development, validation, and implementation of soft robotic systems for minimally invasive access through single incisions, natural orifices, and endoluminal routes.

To address these areas, we encourage contributions focusing on the following sub-themes:

• Novel Actuation & Materials: Innovative actuation strategies (including pneumatic, hydraulic, and magnetic actuation), bioinspired mechanisms, flexible/compliant materials, and shape-memory technologies.
• Sensing & Control: Embedded and fiber-based sensing, variable stiffness technologies, haptic feedback, and advanced surgical ergonomics.
• AI & Digital Integration: Image-guided navigation, digital twins, simulation, artificial intelligence applications, AI-enhanced control algorithms, embodied intelligence, shared autonomy, and human–robot interaction.
• Translation & Adoption: Patient-specific design, translational pathways, regulatory considerations, workflow integration, surgeon training, and clinical adoption.

We welcome original research articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, technical reports, preclinical and clinical studies, methods papers, perspective articles, and technology-focused contributions.

Submissions should present novel findings, demonstrate methodological rigor, and clearly describe their technological, clinical, or translational relevance. All manuscripts must comply with Frontiers’ editorial and ethical guidelines, including transparency in methodology, data availability, and study design.

Please note: Manuscripts focused solely on theoretical modeling, bioinformatics, or computational methods without a clear connection to soft robotics, single-port surgery, endoluminal procedures, or surgical translation are outside the scope of this Research Topic.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Soft robotics, Single-port surgery, Endoluminal surgery, Continuum robots, Natural orifice surgery, Surgical endoscopy, Image-guided surgery, Artificial intelligence, Haptic feedback, Human-robot interaction

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.