Magnetic Depth Measurement for Robotic Surgery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical techniques face challenges in accurately measuring the depth of surgical instruments within complex bone structures during robot-assisted surgeries, often relying on x-ray imaging that exposes patients and staff to unnecessary radiation and obstructs surgical access.
Innovation Solution
A surgical robot system with a guide tube equipped with a tracking marker and a tracking subsystem, using position sensors and computer processing to determine the distance for a surgical instrument to contact a target bone without x-ray imaging, by receiving viewplane scans and depicting a vector indicative of the distance on a display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If x-ray imaging is used to measure the depth of surgical instruments, then measurement precision is improved, but harmful factors increase due to radiation exposure to patients and staff
Solution Approach 1:
A magnetic field serves as an intermediary between the surgical instrument and the measurement system. A magnet is attached to the surgical instrument, and a magnetic field sensor on the robotic system measures the magnetic field to determine instrument depth and position, eliminating the need for x-ray imaging while maintaining measurement precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the x-ray imaging system (electromagnetic radiation-based measurement) with a magnetic field-based measurement system. This substitution eliminates radiation exposure while providing real-time depth measurement of surgical instruments through magnetic field sensing
2Measurement precision
If a tracking array is mounted on a dilator tube for image guidance, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases and surgical access is obstructed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the tracking function from the surgical instrument itself and relocates it to the robotic system. Instead of mounting a tracking array on the dilator tube, a magnet is attached to the instrument and the magnetic field is measured by sensors on the robotic system, simplifying the instrument design and improving surgical access
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual model of the surgical instrument's position and depth by measuring the magnetic field and calculating instrument location relative to the robotic system's known position. This virtual representation provides real-time tracking information without requiring physical tracking arrays on the instrument
3Ease of operation
If manual positioning of surgical instruments is used, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to difficulty in achieving accurate depth measurement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback system where the magnetic field sensor continuously measures the position of the surgical instrument, and this information is displayed to the surgeon in real-time. The feedback shows the current depth and position of the instrument, allowing the surgeon to manually position the instrument with enhanced precision by observing the real-time measurements
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method allows for accurate and radiation-free depth measurement, enhancing surgical precision and reducing exposure to x-rays while maintaining unobstructed surgical access.
Implementation Method 1
a tracking marker on the guide tube and a tracking subsystem with a position sensor that recognizes the tracking marker in a navigational space
Data Source
AI summary
Devices, systems, and methods for measuring the distance and/or depth to a target bone for surgery using a robotic surgical system. The surgical robot system may be configured to depict the distance from a guide tube of the robot to a target bone of a patient as a vector. The vector may represent a view of the guide tube when the guide tube's central axis is coincident with a line of intersection of two viewplanes of a 2D image of the target bone, for example, one viewplane being sagittal and one viewplane being axial.