# Autonomous tissue retraction with a biomechanically informed logic based framework

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2109.02316 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2109.02316/

## Key facts

- Cited by 7 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 6 Sep 2021.

## Built on by (most cited first, 7 of 7)

- [Learning Visual Shape Control of Novel 3D Deformable Objects from Partial-View Point Clouds](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.04685/) (2021)
- [Value-Informed Skill Chaining for Policy Learning of Long-Horizon Tasks with Surgical Robot](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.16503/) (2023)
- [Logic programming for deliberative robotic task planning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2301.07550/) (2023)
- [DeformerNet: Learning Bimanual Manipulation of 3D Deformable Objects](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.04449/) (2023)
- [Inductive Learning of Robot Task Knowledge from Raw Data and Online Expert Feedback](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2501.07507/) (2025)
- [FF-SRL: High Performance GPU-Based Surgical Simulation For Robot Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.18616/) (2025)
- [Attachment Anchors: A Novel Framework for Laparoscopic Grasping Point Prediction in Colorectal Surgery](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.17310/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Autonomy in robot-assisted surgery is essential to reduce surgeons' cognitive load and eventually improve the overall surgical outcome. A key requirement for autonomy in a safety-critical scenario as surgery lies in the generation of interpretable plans that rely on expert knowledge. Moreover, the Autonomous Robotic Surgical System (ARSS) must be able to reason on the dynamic and unpredictable anatomical environment, and quickly adapt the surgical plan in case of unexpected situations. In this paper, we present a modular Framework for Robot-Assisted Surgery (FRAS) in deformable anatomical environments. Our framework integrates a logic module for task-level interpretable reasoning, a biomechanical simulation that complements data from real sensors, and a situation awareness module for context interpretation. The framework performance is evaluated on simulated soft tissue retraction, a common surgical task to remove the tissue hiding a region of interest. Results show that the framework has the adaptability required to successfully accomplish the task, handling dynamic environmental conditions and possible failures, while guaranteeing the computational efficiency required in a real surgical scenario. The framework is made publicly available.