Arcuate Rail Surgical Instrument Positioning for Pediatric Precision
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional anthropometric robotic systems used in minimally invasive surgery (MIS) face challenges such as unwanted tremors, inaccuracies, and large footprints, making them unsuitable for pediatric and neonatal patients due to the need for precise and delicate surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A motorized robotic surgical system featuring an arcuate rail mountable to an operating table and a carriage with a ball joint support for surgical instruments, allowing for precise positioning and movement of instruments along an arcuate path, which can be remotely controlled and adapted for use with pediatric and adult patients.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional anthropometric robotic systems are used for MIS, then surgical procedures can be performed on adult patients, but the systems produce unwanted tremors, inaccuracies, and large footprints that make them unsuitable for pediatric and neonatal patients
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an arcuate (curved) rail instead of a straight linear rail. This curvature allows the surgical instrument to follow an arcuate path that is geometrically appropriate for smaller pediatric patients, enabling precise positioning at the apex of the arc while maintaining stability. The curved geometry naturally reduces the travel distance required for positioning compared to linear systems, thereby improving precision for pediatric applications.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional anthropometric robotic systems with multiple arms are used, then complex surgical procedures can be performed, but the systems have massive footprints that are unsuitable for pediatric surgery
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates unnecessary components from conventional multi-arm robotic systems. Instead of using multiple heavy robotic arms, the invention employs a single arcuate rail with a carriage that can be remotely controlled. This extraction of essential functionality while removing excess mass and complexity directly reduces the system footprint, making it suitable for pediatric surgery while maintaining the capability to perform complex procedures through remote control and precise positioning.
3Ease of operation
If conventional robotic arms travel large distances for small angular movements, then positioning adjustments can be made, but the system becomes unsuitable for pediatric patients requiring precise delicate procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The arcuate rail geometry creates a mechanical advantage where small movements of the carriage along the curved path translate to precise positioning at the instrument apex. The curved path allows the system to achieve the same angular adjustment with significantly shorter travel distances compared to linear systems, thereby improving positioning precision for pediatric patients while maintaining ease of operation through remote control.
4Ease of operation
If conventional anthropometric systems are used, then surgical instruments can be positioned, but unwanted tremors and dynamic bending beam effects occur that reduce surgical accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the complex multi-arm mechanical robotic system with a simpler arcuate rail and carriage mechanism. This substitution eliminates the dynamic bending beam effects and tremors associated with long, slender conventional robotic arms. The carriage can be remotely controlled to move along the rigid arcuate rail, providing stable and accurate instrument positioning without the mechanical instabilities of anthropometric systems.
Data Source
AI summary
An instrument carrier for assisting with the positioning of a surgical instrument during surgery, the carrier having an arcuate rail mountable to an operating table and moveable relative to the table for positioning the rail over a target region in use; and a carriage operatively coupled to the rail, the carriage having a support for carrying the surgical instrument; where the carriage is configured to be movable along the rail such that movement of the carriage positions the surgical instrument along an arcuate path relative to the target region.