Methods, non-transitory computer readable media, surgical tracking devices, and systems that facilitate improved tracking in surgical environments are disclosed. With this technology, a fiber optic shape sensing (FOSS) device is rigidly attached to patient anatomy and/or surgical instrument(s) to facilitate location and/or flexibility tracking. The data provided by the FOSS device can be analyzed and registered to preoperative or intraoperative 3D anatomy model(s). The FOSS device can be attached to a surgical instrument to provide intraoperative guidance, used to locate a hollow needle for tracking bones in a minimally invasive manner, and/or used to detect bending in an instrument such as an arthroscope or tissue removing burr shaft, for example. The tracked location and/or flexibility data provided by the FOSS device can also be used to automatically control the location and/or operation of a surgical instrument during a surgical proceeding to facilitate improved surgical accuracy and patient outcomes.