Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the seersucker fabrics from the point of view of their ability to ensure the thermo-physiological comfort. It was investigated how the kind of the weft yarn and seersucker structure influence the air permeability and thermal insulation properties of the fabrics. Design/methodology/approach: The paper presents the investigations of the typical seersucker fabrics made of the same set of warps and different weft yarns. Fabrics were manufactured on the same loom with two warp beams. Next they were finished by the same way including washing, drying and stabilisation processes. Fabrics were measured in the range of their air permeability using standard test method. Thermal insulation properties of fabrics were measured in dry and wet state by means of Alambeta. Surface topography of the seersucker fabrics was analysed using 3D laser scanning. Findings: On the basis of the obtained results it was stated that due to the puckered structure the seersucker fabrics are characterised by high thermal resistance, several times higher than the thermal resistance of typical flat woven fabrics. The seersucker fabrics are characterised by very low value of the thermal absorptivity in wet state at the level appropriate for typical flat fabrics in dry state. It confirmed that the seersucker fabrics ensure the physiological comfort. Application of the elastomeric yarn in weft caused significant tightening the fabric structure. It resulted in low air permeability, fabric stiffness and unpleasant hand. Research limitations/implications: As a limitation of the investigation of the seersucker fabrics in wet state we can mention the surface topography of the fabrics. It made wetting the fabrics difficult before measuring. It is necessary to elaborate precise procedure of preparation of seersucker fabrics before their testing in the wet state. Practical implications: Performed investigations showed that the seersucker fabrics have a big potential to be comfortable. By an appropriate designing of their structure it is possible to achieve very good comfort-related properties even without application of innovative comfort-oriented yarns. Originality/value: The originality of the paper is based on the fact that the measurement was performed for the seersucker fabrics. The fabrics are characterised by the unique structure which influences their appearance and utility properties. It caused that they are willingly applied in different kinds of clothing. Till now any results of comfort-related properties of such kind of the woven fabrics have not been published.

This article describes a data fusion algorithm that uses fuzzy logic techniques. The algorithm involves weighting factors, the values of which change depending on whether the conditions dictated by processes of fuzzy logic have been met. By modifying the values of weighting factors, one can achieve a measurement signal with expected properties. The article includes a general description of the algorithm and an example of its application. The algorithm was developed for the purposes of data fusion for contactless measurement of the linear and angular position of an automatic laparoscopic device or a laparoscopic camera (hereinafter Laparoscope sleeve or LS). These measurements are used in the article to close the feedback loop on the position within a servomechanism with two degrees of freedom.

While multi-fingered robotic hands have been developed for decades, none has been used for surgical operations. μAngelo is an anthropomorphic master-slave system for teleoperated robot-assisted surgery. As part of this system, this paper focuses on its slave instrument, a miniature three-digit hand. The design of the mechanism of such a manipulator poses a challenge due to the required miniaturization and the many active degrees of freedom. As the instrument has a human-centered design, its relation to the human hand is discussed. Two ways of routing its cable-driven mechanism are investigated and the method of deriving the input-output functions that drive the mechanism is presented.

Recently, minimally invasive surgery (MIS) robotics enters the phase of autonomous operation. However, because of the high variability of the environment, conducting a fully autonomous surgery is still extremely difficult. This paper presents a share control system, the objective of which is to suggest the optimum path of tool guidance through the use of force on the master manipulator (hereinafter as master), meaning the surgeon's hand. Owing to this type of control, the surgeon has full control over the position of the tool the entire time and is supported by the system to better and faster guide the tool during surgery. The force should be felt by the surgeon but, simultaneously, must not hinder or impact the surgical process. Furthermore, the share control system presented in the paper can be turned on or off at any moment during surgery.

Seersucker woven fabrics create a unique 3D woven structure. Such 3D structure is usually received on loom by an application of two warps of different tension. However, a kind of the weft yarn also significantly influences the structure and properties of the seersucker woven fabric. The paper presents an investigation of the seersucker fabrics made of the same set of warps and different weft yarns. The mechanical properties of the investigated fabrics were measured by means of the standardized testing methods. The structure of the fabric was assessed using the 3D laser scanning.