Surgical Handpiece Geofencing Using Motor Current and Pose Estimation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robot-assisted surgical systems face challenges in accurately determining when a cutting tool, such as a saw blade, exits bone and engages adjacent soft tissue, especially in image-free systems, leading to potential damage during bone preparation.
Innovation Solution
A geofencing system that combines motor current signals and pose estimation from a navigated handpiece with a tracking system to detect when a cutting tool enters or exits bone, using thresholds and pattern recognition to prevent engagement with soft tissue.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If robot-assisted surgical systems use tracking systems to monitor handpiece location, then surgical precision and accuracy are improved, but the system cannot accurately determine when the cutting tool exits bone and engages soft tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges motor current signal monitoring with pose estimation data from the tracking system. The event detector combines these two data streams to determine bone exit events, achieving reliable detection by integrating complementary information sources rather than relying on tracking alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The motor current signal acts as an intermediary indicator of bone engagement status. Instead of directly observing bone exit, the system uses current consumption patterns as a mediator to infer when the cutting tool transitions from bone to soft tissue.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the system stops the handpiece when bone exit is detected, then soft tissue damage is prevented, but false stops may occur due to current signal variations
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors motor current signals and uses this feedback to update bone engagement status in real-time. The event detector processes ongoing current measurements alongside pose estimation data, allowing dynamic adjustment of handpiece operation based on actual tissue engagement conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts handpiece operation based on real-time detection of bone exit events. Rather than using fixed thresholds, the system adapts its response based on the combination of current signal patterns and pose estimation changes, allowing flexible and context-appropriate control.
Data Source
AI summary
A geofencing system for a surgical handpiece with a cutting surface, including: a motion tracking system configured to track a location of the surgical handpiece; and an event detector configured to: receive a current measurement signal indicating a current usage of the surgical handpiece; receive motion information regarding the surgical handpiece from the motion tracking system; determine if the cutting surface has exited a second surface of a bone opposite a first surface where the cutting surface entered the bone based upon the current measurement signal and the motion information; and stop the surgical handpiece when it is determined that the cutting surface has exited the second surface of the bone.