Multi-Robot Surgical Control With a Shared Reference Frame
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Solution Overview
Problem
The simultaneous use of multiple robotic arms in surgical procedures is hindered by the complexity of tracking and registering different reference frames, leading to surgical field crowding, increased setup time, and potential patient trauma due to additional incisions.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing a single robotic arm as a reference frame for multiple arms, with a common hub to control all arms based on a single registration to a patient coordinate system, and a method to correlate coordinate systems between robots using physical connections or sensed relationships.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple robotic arms each use separate reference frames for tracking and registration, then each arm can be precisely controlled independently, but the surgical field becomes crowded, setup time increases, and patient trauma increases due to additional incisions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate reference frames into a single shared reference frame that is common to all robotic arms. Instead of each arm having its own independent reference frame requiring separate tracking and registration, the system uses one unified reference frame that all arms reference, thereby reducing complexity while maintaining precision through the common hub's coordination
Solution Approach 2:
The single reference frame serves as a universal reference for all robotic arms simultaneously. The common hub enables this reference frame to function for multiple arms at once, allowing the same reference structure to support multiple independent control systems without requiring separate reference frames for each arm
2Measurement precision
If multiple reference frames are used for multiple robotic arms, then each arm can be precisely registered to the patient coordinate system, but surgical field crowding occurs and setup time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple registration operations into a single registration process. By using one shared reference frame instead of multiple separate ones, the system performs one registration operation that establishes the relationship between the patient coordinate system and the common reference frame, eliminating the need for multiple separate registrations and thereby reducing setup time while maintaining precision
3Ease of operation
If multiple reference frames are used for multiple robotic arms, then each arm can be independently controlled, but patient trauma increases due to additional incisions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the reference frame requirements into a single shared reference frame that serves all robotic arms. This eliminates the need for multiple separate reference frame installations that would require additional incisions, while the common hub maintains independent control capability for each arm through software-based coordination rather than physical separation
Data Source
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AI summary
A registration method involves receiving image information corresponding to an anatomical element of a patient; receiving sensor information about a simultaneous pose of each of a patient reference frame, a first robot, and a second robot; determining, based on the image information and the sensor information, a correlation among a patient coordinate system, a first coordinate system of the first robot, and a second coordinate system of the second robot; and controlling movement of the first robot and the second robot within a common work volume based on the correlation.