Because of the increasing use of laparoscopic surgeries, robotic technologies have been developed to overcome the challenges these surgeries impose on surgeons. This paper presents an overview of the current state of surgical robots used in laparoscopic surgeries. Four main categories were discussed: handheld laparoscopic devices, laparoscope positioning robots, master–slave teleoperated systems with dedicated consoles, and robotic training systems. A generalized control block diagram is developed to demonstrate the general control scheme for each category of surgical robots. In order to review these robotic technologies, related published works were investigated and discussed. Detailed discussions and comparison tables are presented to compare their effectiveness in laparoscopic surgeries. Each of these technologies has proved to be beneficial in laparoscopic surgeries.

Solar stills utilization has received great interest in arid isolated regions. In this study, experimental approaches have been investigated to prove the impact of the corrugated absorber shape on the hemispherical solar still performance. Four geometric corrugated shapes including present flat, triangular, semi-circular, square forms were tested for the corrugated absorber. Five hemispherical solar distillers have been fabricated and tested. The first distiller includes flat absorber (HSD-FA), the second distiller includes square corrugated absorber (HSDSA), the third distiller includes semi-circular corrugated absorber (HSD-SCA), the fourth distiller includes triangular corrugated absorber (HSDTA), and the fifth distiller is conventional (CHSD). The first and second distillers were compared with the CHSD on the first day. On the second day, the third and fourth distillers were compared with the CHSD as well. Experimental results obtained showed that, the total freshwater yield of the HSD-FA, HSDSA, HSDSCA and HSDTA were improved by 16.67, 27.08, 39.58 and 48.96%, respectively, compared over that of the CHSD. These results prove that the use of the triangular corrugated absorber shaped provides the highest thermal efficiency, and the optimum corrugated absorber shape is the triangular corrugated absorber shape.

In this study, we present the design considerations of a device to assist in the potential treatment of hemorrhagic stroke with the aim of stopping blood from flowing out into brain tissue. We present and model three designs for the clinical scenarios when saccular aneurysms rupture in the middle cerebral artery in the brain. We evaluate and model these three designs using computer aided design software, SolidWorks, which allows the devices to be tested using finite element analysis and also enables us to justify that the materials chosen were suitable for potential use. Computational fluid dynamics modelling were used to demonstrate and analyse the flow of blood through the artery under conditions of normal and ruptured states. We conclude that our device could potentially be useful in the treatment of hemorrhagic stroke, and the modelling process is useful in assisting in determining the performance of our devices.

The growing demand for sustainable energy solutions in the built environment has increased interest in hybrid envelope retrofits that integrate vegetation systems with on-site photovoltaics (PVs). This study presents a comparative assessment of two integrated vegetation–PV envelope retrofit strategies for an educational building in a cooling-dominated hot-humid climate relevant to Nearly Zero Energy Building (NZEB) applications. A calibrated dynamic simulation model was developed to quantify annual net electricity savings, operational CO₂ emission reductions, and cost-effectiveness using the levelized cost of saved electricity (LCOS). Two configurations were assessed: a solar green roof and a façade system combining green walls with glazing-integrated photovoltaics (GIPVs), enabling a consistent evaluation of roof-based and façade-based hybrid systems under identical conditions. Both strategies deliver comparable energy and environmental performance. The solar green roof achieves annual net electricity savings of 231.0 MWh and avoids 163.3 tCO₂, while the green walls–GIPV system provides 228.3 MWh and 161.4 tCO₂. However, significant differences are observed in economic performance. The LCOS of the solar green roof is approximately 0.07 $/kWh, compared with 0.28 $/kWh for the façade-integrated system. The results demonstrate that vegetation–PV hybrid retrofits can effectively support NZEB pathways in hot-humid climates, while highlighting that the solar green roof provides a more cost-effective solution under the studied conditions. The study contributes a consistent, decision-oriented comparison of integrated vegetation–PV strategies, linking energy, environmental, and economic performance within a unified modeling framework.