Systems and methods for control of steerable devices

1. A robotic system comprising:

a manipulator assembly configured to drive an elongate device;

a control device configured to receive user input commanding the elongate device; and

a control system communicatively coupled to the manipulator assembly and the control device, the control system configured to:

monitor movement of the elongate device during a plurality of intervals;

monitor user input received by the control device during the plurality of intervals;

adjust a property of the elongate device based on at least one of the monitored movement or the monitored user input, wherein adjustment of the property includes operations to:

based on at least one of movement or user input during a first interval of the plurality of intervals, keep the property of the elongate device substantially the same during the first interval;

based on at least one of movement or user input during a second interval of the plurality of intervals, adjust the property of the elongate device at a first rate during the second interval; and

based on at least one of movement or user input during a third interval of the plurality of intervals, adjust the property of the elongate device at a second rate that is greater than the first rate during the third interval.

2. The robotic system of claim 1 , wherein the property includes a rigidity of the elongate device, and wherein the control system is configured to reduce the rigidity of the elongate device at the first rate during the second interval and to reduce the rigidity of the elongate device at the second rate during the third interval.

3. The robotic system of claim 2 , wherein the control system is configured to keep the rigidity substantially the same during the first interval based on retraction of the elongate device being less than a threshold.

4. The robotic system of claim 3 , wherein the control system is configured to reduce the rigidity of the elongate device at the first rate during the second interval and to reduce the rigidity of the elongate device at the second rate during the third interval based on retraction of the elongate device being greater than the threshold.

5. The robotic system of claim 3 , wherein the control system is configured to reduce the rigidity of the elongate device at the first rate during the second interval based on a retraction velocity of the elongate device being less than a second threshold and to reduce the rigidity of the elongate device at the second rate during the third interval based on the retraction velocity of the elongate device being greater than the second threshold.

6. The robotic system of claim 2 , wherein the control system is configured to keep the rigidity substantially the same during the first interval based on user input commanding the elongate device to retract less than a threshold.

7. The robotic system of claim 6 , wherein the control system is configured to reduce the rigidity of the elongate device at the first rate during the second interval and to reduce the rigidity of the elongate device at the second rate during the third interval based on user input commanding the elongate device to retract more than the threshold.

8. The robotic system of claim 6 , wherein the control system is configured to reduce the rigidity of the elongate device at the first rate during the second interval based on user input commanding the elongate device to retract at a velocity less than a second threshold and to reduce the rigidity of the elongate device at the second rate during the third interval based on user input commanding the elongate device to retract at a velocity greater than the second threshold.

9. The robotic system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is configured to adjust the property of the elongate device based on at least one of: an amount of retraction from a latched position, a velocity of retraction, a duration of retraction, a total insertion depth, a location as a percentage of current maximum insertion depth, a size of a user input, a speed of a user input, a velocity of a user input, a duration of a user input, or pressure on the control device.

10. The robotic system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is configured to prioritize the monitored movement of the elongate device over the monitored user input.

11. The robotic system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is configured to determine a mode for the elongate device based on at least one of the monitored movement or the monitored user input.

12. The robotic system of claim 11 , wherein determination of the mode includes operations to:

determine an active mode based on retraction of the elongate device being less than a threshold; and

determine a retraction mode based on retraction of the elongate device being greater than the threshold.

13. The robotic system of claim 12 , wherein determination of the mode includes operations to:

determine the retraction mode based on a retraction velocity of the elongate device being greater than a second threshold.

14. The robotic system of claim 11 , wherein determination of the mode includes operations to:

determine an active mode based on the user input commanding retraction of the elongate device less than a threshold; and

determine a retraction mode based on the user input commanding retraction of the elongate device more than the threshold.

15. The robotic system of claim 14 , wherein determination of the mode includes operations to:

determine the retraction mode based on the user input commanding a retraction velocity greater than a second threshold.

16. The robotic system of claim 14 , wherein determination of the mode includes operations to:

determine the active mode based on the user input commanding advancement along an insertion axis; and

determine the active mode based on the user input commanding movement along a degree of freedom other than the insertion axis without retraction along the insertion axis.

17. The robotic system of claim 1 , wherein the manipulator assembly includes an insertion stage configured to drive a device body to which the elongate device is coupled, and wherein the control system is further configured to monitor the movement by monitoring movement of the device body along the insertion stage.

18. The robotic system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is further configured to:

based on a rigidity of the elongate device, limit a retraction velocity of the elongate device in response to the user input.

19. The robotic system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is further configured to limit a retraction velocity of the elongate device based on a maximum rate of change of rigidity of the elongate device.

20. A method comprising:

monitoring movement of an elongate device;

receiving user input commanding motion of the elongate device;

determining a mode of operation based on at least one of the monitored movement or the received user input; and

adjusting a property of the elongate device based on a profile associated with the mode of operation, wherein the adjusting the property of the elongate device includes:

maintaining the property of the elongate device substantially the same during a first interval;

adjusting the property of the elongate device at a first rate during a second interval; and

adjusting the property of the elongate device at a second rate that is different from the first rate during a third interval.