# ForceU-VLA: A Force-Aware Vision-Language-Action Model for Embodied Ultrasound Scanning

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.15009 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.15009/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 14 of its 45 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 15 Aug 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 14 of 14)

- [π0: A Vision-Language-Action Flow Model for General Robot Control](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.24164/) (2024)
- [PaliGemma: A versatile 3B VLM for transfer](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.07726/) (2024)
- [ForceVLA: Enhancing VLA Models with a Force-aware MoE for Contact-rich Manipulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.22159/) (2025)
- [USFM: A Universal Ultrasound Foundation Model Generalized to Tasks and Organs towards Label Efficient Image Analysis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.00153/) (2023)
- [ForceVLA2: Unleashing Hybrid Force-Position Control with Force Awareness for Contact-Rich Manipulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.15169/) (2026)
- [FD-VLA: Force-Distilled Vision-Language-Action Model for Contact-Rich Manipulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.02142/) (2026)
- [FAVLA: A Force-Adaptive Fast-Slow VLA model for Contact-Rich Robotic Manipulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.23648/) (2026)
- [Force Policy: Learning Hybrid Force-Position Control Policy under Interaction Frame for Contact-Rich Manipulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.22088/) (2026)
- [CRAFT: Adapting VLA Models to Contact-rich Manipulation via Force-aware Curriculum Fine-tuning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.12532/) (2026)
- [Imitation Learning for Robotic Assisted Ultrasound Examination of Deep Venous Thrombosis using Kernelized Movement Primitives](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.08506/) (2024)
- [SEMC: Structure-Enhanced Mixture-of-Experts Contrastive Learning for Ultrasound Standard Plane Recognition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2511.12559/) (2025)
- [A Unified Interaction Control Framework for Safe Robotic Ultrasound Scanning with Human-Intention-Aware Compliance](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.19545/) (2024)
- [Towards Next-Generation Healthcare: A Survey of Medical Embodied AI for Perception, Decision-Making, and Action](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.15647/) (2026)
- [Force-Aware Residual DAgger via Trajectory Editing for Precision Insertion with Impedance Control](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.04038/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Embodied intelligent ultrasound scanning enables the automation and standardization of the ultrasound examination process by integrating perception, decision-making, and execution capabilities. However, existing methods suffer from loosely coupled modeling between force and ultrasound modalities and lack awareness of scanning stages, which limits their ability to capture dynamic probe-tissue interactions. To address these issues, we propose ForceU-VLA, a force-aware Vision-Language-Action model for autonomous embodied ultrasound scanning, which leverages force signals and ultrasound image feedback throughout the scanning process to enable accurate and high-quality ultrasound acquisition. Firstly, we propose a Force-Ultrasound Synergistic Fusion Module (FUSFM) that synergistically fuses ultrasound visual and force-feedback information to provide stable, reliable guidance for probe motion. Secondly, a Stage-Adaptive Modulation Mechanism (SAMM) is proposed to accommodate the task requirements across different scanning stages by adaptively modulating multimodal features to enhance their representation quality. Additionally, we introduce ForceU-VLA-Data, a real-world, force-aware embodied ultrasound dataset that integrates visual, force, and action signals, including data from two organs across five representative clinical scanning views, and comprising 450 expert-collected trajectories with approximately 100,000 synchronized multimodal frames. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that ForceU-VLA significantly improves contact stability and probe pressure regulation in embodied ultrasound scanning, thereby effectively enhancing task execution quality and overall system reliability. The source code is available at https://github.com/VMVLab/ForceU-VLA.