This special issue represents a significant collaboration between the Japanese Society for Medical and Biological Engineering (JSMBE) and the Japan Society of Computer Aided Surgery (JSCAS), established under an official agreement between the two societies. Founded in November 1962, the JSMBE aims to promote research and knowledge exchange and to advance activities related to the application of engineering methodologies in medicine and biology, as well as the utilization of medical and biological knowledge in engineering. In contrast, the JSCAS, established in September 1992, is dedicated to advancing research and facilitating information exchange on innovative computer-aided medical devices and systems, with a primary focus on surgical applications. Although the two societies differ in their historical backgrounds and organizational scopes, they share numerous foundational technologies and application domains. Against this backdrop, this special issue of Advanced Biomedical Engineering (ABE) has two primary objectives: (1) to publish cutting-edge original research by JSCAS members and introduce their outstanding contributions in medical applications to an international audience; and (2) to foster the exploration of new research directions among JSMBE members by highlighting the processes, implementation pathways, and future challenges associated with translating engineering technologies into practical clinical applications, particularly in the field of surgical assistance.

The ABE JSCAS Special Issue Editorial Committee was composed of distinguished academic experts affiliated with JSMBE and JSCAS. Following a rigorous peer-review process conducted in strict accordance with ABE’s high editorial standards, ten papers were selected for publication. The Editor-in-Chief of ABE retained full responsibility for all acceptance and rejection decisions, thereby ensuring the highest standards of academic integrity and scholarly quality.

This special issue comprises nine original research articles and one invited review paper, all of which provide novel perspectives and valuable insights into the application of computers, robots, and advanced medical devices in surgery. Collectively, these contributions address several frontier topics in computer-aided surgery and can be broadly categorized into the following three areas. Additionally, the issue includes a comprehensive and insightful survey article highlighting recent developments in 3D Slicer. This leading open-source software platform continues to drive innovation in computer-aided surgical technologies.