Curved Blade Robotic Cutting for Orthopaedic Bone Contours
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current orthopaedic procedures face challenges in accurately creating curved surfaces on bones to match the natural geometry of implants, as conventional tools are unable to produce precise rounded cuts, leading to potential misalignment and reduced implant longevity.
Innovation Solution
The use of curved blades and drill bits combined with precise robotic control allows for the creation of exact curved surfaces that replicate the geometry of implants, enabling more accurate bone preparation and alignment during joint arthroplasty procedures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If conventional saws are used to cut bone, then the cutting process is simple and fast, but the cutting surface is flat and cannot match the curved geometry of natural bone condyles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature by replacing conventional flat saw blades with specially designed curved blades that have a rounded profile matching the natural geometry of femoral condyles. This allows the cutting tool to create curved surfaces that conform to the spherical shape of natural bone joints, resolving the contradiction between achieving curved surfaces and maintaining tool simplicity.
2Manufacturing precision
If manual tools are used to create curved surfaces, then the equipment is simple, but the precision and accuracy of the curved surface creation is nearly impossible to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical control with a robotic control system that uses computer-generated three-dimensional models and pre-planned cutting paths. The robotic arm precisely positions and moves the curved blade according to digital planning, eliminating the imprecision of manual tool operation while achieving high accuracy in creating curved bone surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by creating detailed three-dimensional computer models of the patient's bone and pre-planning the exact cutting paths before surgery. This pre-planning allows the robotic system to execute precise curved surface creation during the actual procedure, ensuring manufacturing precision without requiring complex real-time adjustments.
3Stability of the object's composition
If flat planar cuts are made to match implants, then the implant placement is straightforward, but the natural rounded geometry of femoral condyles is not preserved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses curved blades with a rounded profile that matches the spherical geometry of natural femoral condyles. This allows the cutting process to preserve the natural rounded shape of the bone while creating a surface that can precisely match the curved backside of modern implants, resolving the contradiction between geometry preservation and surface matching precision.
Data Source
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AI summary
A process for creating a curved contour on or within a bone is provided, where the process includes positioning a bone of a patient in a fixed position in a coordinate system, generating scan data of the bone, creating a three-dimensional surface model of the bone based on the scan data, generating a cutting program to modify a surface of the bone based on the three-dimensional surface model and a prosthesis having a bone interface shape that is complementary to the curved contour, and modifying the bone with one or more curved blades or a curved drill bit that is robotically driven and positioned with the cutting program to form the curved contour. A system for creating a curved congruent contour on or within a bone for mounting a prosthesis is also described.