In-Line Shoulder Joint Layout for Single-Port Robotic Surgery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current robotic surgical systems face challenges such as high cost, large size, complex operation, and the need for extensive training, while minimally invasive laparoscopic techniques suffer from increased surgery duration, reduced visibility, and dexterity requirements, with single-port entry systems like GelPort and Da Vinci having limitations in accessibility and affordability.
Innovation Solution
A single-armed robotic device with a compact in-line shoulder joint design, featuring nested driveshafts and a differential yoke, allowing insertion through standard trocar ports, and a modular design for minimal invasiveness and ease of use, reducing complexity and cost.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If traditional robotic surgical systems like Da Vinci are used, then surgical precision and automation are improved, but device size, cost, and operational complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system is divided into separate functional modules: a control console for automation operations and a standalone robotic arm for surgical execution. This segmentation allows the complex automated control functions to be isolated from the surgical instrument, reducing the complexity of the device inserted into the patient while maintaining high-level automation capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The control and processing components are extracted from the robotic arm itself and placed in an external console. The robotic arm contains only the essential surgical tools and actuation mechanisms, removing unnecessary complexity from the minimally invasive portion while preserving automated surgical precision through the external control system.
2Length of moving object
If single-port entry systems are used, then incision size is reduced, but accessibility and dexterity are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple driveshafts and mechanical components are nested within each other in a compact arrangement. The first and second driveshafts are positioned concentrically, with additional components nested within the arm structure, allowing the robotic system to fit through a single small port while maintaining the mechanical complexity needed for surgical dexterity and accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic arm utilizes three-dimensional spatial arrangement of components, with driveshafts arranged in concentric circles and mechanical elements positioned in multiple layers. This dimensional optimization allows compact packaging of functional components to fit through a single port while maintaining full surgical capability through clever spatial design.
3Volume of moving object
If compact robotic arms are designed, then device size and cost are reduced, but maintaining surgical precision and dexterity becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic arm employs nested driveshafts where the first driveshaft and second driveshaft are positioned concentrically within each other. This nesting arrangement minimizes the radial space required while maintaining the mechanical linkages necessary for precise surgical movements, achieving compact size without sacrificing manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the spatial parameters of the mechanical components, arranging driveshafts in concentric circular patterns rather than linear arrangements. This parameter optimization allows the same functional precision to be achieved in a more compact volume by optimizing the geometric configuration of the mechanical elements.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are various robotic surgical devices and systems that include first and second elongate bodies, first and second driveshafts disposed through the second elongate body, and an in-line shoulder joint with a robotic arm coupled thereto. In certain implementations, the in-line shoulder joint has a differential yoke and a dual shaft disposed within the yoke lumen.