US Patent 10939972 System with guides and tools of different flexibility

A system includes a flexible guide tube, an actuator coupled to the flexible guide tube and configured to move at least a portion of the flexible guide tube, a processor, and memory storing computer-executable instructions. When executed by the processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the system to: identify at least one factor associated with insertion or removal of a tool configured to be inserted through or removed from the flexible guide tube; identify, in a first configuration of the flexible guide tube and based on the at least one factor, one or more sections of the flexible guide tube having one or more bends that the tool cannot traverse; and command the actuator to automatically move the flexible guide tube to a second configuration without manual steering by a user, wherein the second configuration does not include the one or more bends that the tool cannot traverse.