Call for Chapters: Enhancing Foot and Ankle Surgery With AI and Robotics

Editors

Mohd Yazid Bajuri, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Malaysia
Saseendar Shanmugasundaram, CARE Sports Injury Centre & SRM Global Hospitals, India
Mohammad Nazir Ahmad, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Malaysia
Ali Ahmadian, Mediterranea University of ​​Reggio Calabria, Italy

Call for Chapters

Proposals Submission Deadline: July 5, 2026
 Full Chapters Due: September 6, 2026
 Submission Date: September 6, 2026

Introduction

Foot and ankle disorders affect over one billion people globally, spanning a clinical spectrum from high-acuity trauma and complex reconstruction to diabetic limb salvage and paediatric deformity. As one of the most technically demanding subspecialties in orthopaedic practice, foot and ankle surgery has undergone a profound digital transformation in recent years. Machine learning is now deployed in fracture classification, preoperative implant planning, wound monitoring, gait biomechanics analysis, and diabetic foot risk stratification. Robotic and navigation-assisted systems are reshaping minimally invasive surgery and total ankle replacement. Three-dimensional bioprinting is enabling patient-specific surgical guides and novel tissue engineering applications. Yet despite this rapid digital evolution, no comprehensive reference currently synthesises these advances across all subspecialty domains of foot and ankle surgery. AI-Enhanced Foot and Ankle Surgery: Robotics, Computer-Assisted Techniques, and Evidence-Based Practice addresses this gap directly. Edited by an internationally renowned team spanning surgical expertise, visual informatics, and applied computational intelligence, this volume is the first to integrate artificial intelligence, robotics, and computer-assisted techniques systematically across the eleven established subspecialty domains of foot and ankle practice from ankle arthroplasty and hindfoot reconstruction to diabetic foot care, paediatric deformity, arthroscopy, and wound management. This is a call for chapter contributions from clinicians, engineers, and researchers who are at the forefront of this digital transformation.

Objective

This book intends to accomplish three interconnected goals that together fill a critical and currently unmet need in the surgical and biomedical literature. First, it will deliver the first edited reference to embed AI and robotics chapters within their specific clinical subspecialty contexts, rather than treating computational technologies in isolation. By positioning AI-integrated content within sections on ankle surgery, trauma, diabetic foot, and minimally invasive surgery, the volume reflects the actual clinical workflow in which these technologies are encountered and deployed, making it immediately actionable for practising surgeons and engineers alike. Second, it will establish a rigorous evidence base for the digital transformation of foot and ankle surgery. Contributors will be expected to ground their chapters in peer-reviewed clinical evidence, published outcome data, and where applicable the editors' own published research on novel techniques including three-dimensional bioprinted autologous adipose tissue grafts for diabetic foot ulcers and pantalar arthrodesis with femoral head allograft for avascular necrosis of the talus. Each chapter will bridge classical surgical science with contemporary computational advances. Third, the volume will advance current research by identifying open clinical problems in foot and ankle surgery where machine learning, deep learning, robotic automation, and wearable sensing represent viable and underexplored solutions. In doing so, it will serve not only as a clinical reference but as a research agenda mapping the frontiers of AI and robotics in a subspecialty where systematic computational coverage is currently absent from the literature. The book directly aligns with the Springer Health Informatics series' mission to advance the integration of information technology and knowledge within clinical practice.

Target Audience

This book is designed for a broad, multidisciplinary professional audience united by a shared interest in the intersection of surgical practice and digital technology. The primary readership comprises orthopaedic surgeons and subspecialty registrars with a focus on foot and ankle surgery, who will use the volume as both an operative planning reference and an educational resource for integrating AI-assisted and robotic tools into clinical practice. Biomedical and robotics engineers designing AI-enabled surgical systems for orthopaedic applications will benefit from the clinical context each section provides, enabling them to better understand surgical decision-making requirements. Clinical researchers in artificial intelligence and machine learning working on musculoskeletal imaging, surgical robotics, and digital health will find the volume's structured identification of open clinical problems particularly valuable. Podiatric surgeons, sports medicine physicians, and rehabilitation specialists will find dedicated coverage of their practice domains enriched by AI and wearable sensor analytics. The secondary audience includes postgraduate trainees in orthopaedics at the master's and fellowship level, allied health professionals such as physiotherapists, wound care nurses, orthotists, and prosthetists who engage with AI-driven rehabilitation and wound management tools, and graduate students in computer science, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering working within surgical robotics and AI-in-medicine programmes. The book will also serve institutional libraries in medical schools, engineering faculties, and teaching hospitals, particularly across the Asia-Pacific region Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, South Korea, and Indonesia as well as in the United Kingdom, United States, and Europe.

Recommended Topics

Proposed chapters are invited across the following thematic areas but not limited to them, organised by the book's eleven subspecialty sections: Section I — Ankle Anatomy and biomechanics of the ankle joint and their clinical relevance Pathophysiology, classification, and management algorithms for ankle arthritis Implant selection, surgical technique, and outcomes in total ankle replacement Indications, techniques, and evidence for ankle arthrodesis AI-assisted preoperative planning and implant sizing in ankle surgery Section II — Hindfoot Diagnosis and surgical management of subtalar joint disorders Pantalar arthrodesis with femoral head allograft for avascular necrosis of the talus Contemporary fixation strategies for calcaneal fractures Radiological assessment and surgical correction of hindfoot alignment Section III — Midfoot Diagnosis, classification, and management of Lisfranc injuries Conservative and surgical options for midfoot arthritis Pathomechanics and reconstruction of adult-acquired flatfoot deformity AI-assisted biomechanical gait analysis for midfoot pathology assessment Section IV — Forefoot Pathomechanics and modern surgical approaches to hallux valgus Joint preservation and salvage procedures for hallux rigidus Management of lesser toe deformities (claw toe, hammer toe, mallet toe) Current evidence and minimally invasive techniques in forefoot reconstruction Section V — Sports Injuries Acute management and chronic instability in lateral ankle ligament injuries Tendinopathy, partial tears, and rupture of the Achilles tendon Diagnosis and surgical repair of peroneal tendon pathology Biological and surgical treatments for osteochondral lesions of the talus Wearable sensors and AI analytics in sports foot and ankle rehabilitation Section VI — Trauma Classification, surgical approaches, and complications of talus fractures Open reduction versus minimally invasive fixation of calcaneal fractures Staged management and fixation strategies for pilon fractures Evidence-based fixation of ankle fractures AI-powered fracture detection, classification, and outcome prediction in foot and ankle trauma Section VII — Diabetic Foot & Charcot Pathophysiology of the diabetic foot: neuropathy, ischaemia, and infection Classification, multidisciplinary care, and offloading of diabetic foot ulcers 3D-bioprinted autologous adipose tissue and novel grafting techniques for diabetic foot wound care Staging, medical management, and surgical reconstruction of Charcot neuroarthropathy Indications, levels, and limb salvage principles in diabetic foot amputation AI in diabetic foot risk stratification, ulcer detection, and predictive modelling Section VIII — Paediatrics Ponseti method and surgical management of clubfoot (talipes equinovarus) Congenital vertical talus and oblique talus Diagnosis and surgical resection of tarsal coalition Paediatric flatfoot: observation versus operative management Juvenile hallux valgus and other paediatric forefoot conditions Section IX — Arthroscopy & Minimally Invasive Surgery Indications, portals, and techniques in ankle arthroscopy Subtalar and hindfoot arthroscopy Minimally invasive surgery for hallux valgus and forefoot deformities Percutaneous techniques in foot and ankle trauma Robotics, navigation, and AI integration in minimally invasive foot and ankle surgery Section X — Reconstruction & Deformity Aetiology, assessment, and comprehensive reconstruction of cavovarus foot Principles of correction for post-traumatic foot and ankle deformity Revision surgery and conversion to arthrodesis following failed total ankle replacement Autograft, allograft, and synthetic bone grafting in foot and ankle surgery AI-guided deformity planning with 3D-printed patient-specific guides and implants Section XI — Wound Care & Infection Principles of wound management in foot and ankle surgery Prevention and management of surgical site infection and periprosthetic joint infection Negative pressure wound therapy, biological dressings, and advanced wound care modalities Diagnosis and surgical debridement in osteomyelitis of the foot and ankle AI-driven wound assessment, digital planimetry, and remote wound monitoring systems

Submission Procedure

Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before July 5, 2026, a chapter proposal of 1,000 to 2,000 words clearly explaining the mission and concerns of his or her proposed chapter. Authors will be notified by July 19, 2026 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines.Full chapters of a minimum of 10,000 words (word count includes references and related readings) are expected to be submitted by September 6, 2026, and all interested authors must consult the guidelines for manuscript submissions at https://www.igi-global.com/publish/contributor-resources/before-you-write/ prior to submission. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-anonymized review basis. Contributors may also be requested to serve as reviewers for this project.

Note: There are no submission or acceptance fees for manuscripts submitted to this book publication, Enhancing Foot and Ankle Surgery With AI and Robotics. All manuscripts are accepted based on a double-anonymized peer review editorial process.

All proposals should be submitted through the eEditorial Discovery® online submission manager.

Publisher

This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global Scientific Publishing, an international academic publisher of the "Information Science Reference", "Medical Information Science Reference", "Business Science Reference", and "Engineering Science Reference" imprints. IGI Global Scientific Publishing specializes in publishing reference books, scholarly journals, and electronic databases featuring academic research on a variety of innovative topic areas including, but not limited to, education, social science, medicine and healthcare, business and management, information science and technology, engineering, public administration, library and information science, media and communication studies, and environmental science. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit https://www.igi-global.com. This publication is anticipated to be released in 2027.

Indexing Information for Prospective Authors

IGI Global Scientific Publishing meets the criteria for inclusion in major indexing services such as Scopus; however, it is important to note that all indexing decisions are made independently by these services. IGI Global Scientific Publishing books are selectively indexed by the indexing organization after publication. Indexing cannot be guaranteed for any book prior to publication, and the indexing organization has complete control over the final selection and timeline.

Important Dates

July 5, 2026: Proposal Submission Deadline
July 19, 2026: Notification of Acceptance
September 6, 2026: Full Chapter Submission
October 11, 2026: Review Results Returned
November 8, 2026: Final Acceptance Notification
November 15, 2026: Final Chapter Submission

Inquiries

Mohd Yazid Bajuri
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
yb@hctm.ukm.edu.my

Saseendar Shanmugasundaram
CARE Sports Injury Centre & SRM Global Hospitals
ssaseendar@yahoo.co.in

Mohammad Nazir Ahmad
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
mnazir@ukm.edu.my

Ali Ahmadian
Mediterranea University of ​​Reggio Calabria
ahmadian.hosseini@unirc.it

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