Steerable Curved Drilling Robot for Complex Bone Navigation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing screw implants face complications such as screw misplacement, fracture, bone fracture, and loosening, particularly in osteoporotic bone, due to rigid instruments that cannot navigate complex bone anatomies and avoid critical structures like nerves and low bone mineral density regions.
Innovation Solution
A fully steerable flexible curved drilling robot device with a dual-tube system and actuation mechanism allows for controlled drilling trajectories, using flexible tubes and a drive shaft to navigate complex bone structures and avoid critical areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If rigid traditional drilling instruments are used, then structural strength and stability are maintained, but the ability to navigate complex bone anatomies and avoid critical structures is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The drilling instrument is divided into multiple segmented components including an outer tube, inner tube, and flexible drive shaft that can rotate independently relative to each other. This segmentation allows each component to contribute to different aspects of navigation and drilling, enabling the instrument to navigate complex curved trajectories while maintaining structural integrity through the coordinated action of rigid and flexible segments
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs flexible components including a flexible drive shaft and tubular structures that can bend and conform to curved bone anatomies. These flexible elements allow the instrument to navigate complex trajectories while the segmented rigid portions maintain sufficient structural strength for drilling and implant placement
2Reliability
If linear drilling paths are used, then drilling speed and simplicity are improved, but the ability to avoid low BMD regions and nerves is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The drilling instrument incorporates dynamic control capabilities allowing real-time adjustment of the drilling trajectory. The independent rotation of the inner tube and flexible drive shaft enables dynamic steering along curved paths, allowing the surgeon to adapt the drilling trajectory to avoid low BMD regions and nerves while maintaining controlled and reliable implant placement
Solution Approach 2:
The nested tubular structure with an inner tube within an outer tube allows for independent rotation and control of each layer. This nesting arrangement enables complex curved drilling trajectories through coordinated rotation of the nested components while maintaining a relatively simple overall device structure that can be controlled through standard surgical interfaces
3Ease of operation
If fully flexible drilling instruments are used, then navigation capability is improved, but control precision and torque transmission are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The segmented structure with rigid outer tube, rigid inner tube, and flexible drive shaft allows the instrument to combine navigation flexibility with control precision. The rigid segmented portions provide stable torque transmission and precise control, while the flexible portions enable navigation capability. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by assigning different functional roles to different segments
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible drive shaft acts as an intermediary element that transmits rotational torque from the controlled inner tube to the drill bit while accommodating the flexibility needed for curved navigation. This intermediary component bridges the gap between the need for precise controlled rotation and the need for flexible navigation through complex anatomies
Data Source
AI summary
A fully steerable flexible curved drilling robot device comprises a first flexible tube including a concentric through hole centered on a longitudinal axis, a second flexible tube including an eccentric through hole, wherein the second flexible tube is positioned in the concentric though hole of the first flexible tube, and configured to move translationally along the longitudinal axis and rotationally about the longitudinal axis, and a drill bit connected via a bearing to a flexible drive shaft, the drill bit positioned at a distal end of the first flexible tube, and wherein the flexible drive shaft extends through the eccentric through hole of the second flexible tube and is configured to provide a rotational torque to the drill bit. A steerable flexible curved drilling robot system and drilling method are also disclosed.