Probe-Tracked Cut Selection for Accurate Robotic Bone Preparation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robotically-assisted surgical systems face challenges in accurately and efficiently creating planar surfaces and pilot holes in bones during joint replacement procedures, which affect the alignment and positioning of prosthetic components, leading to suboptimal surgical outcomes.
Innovation Solution
A surgical system that includes a robotic device with a tracking system and computing system to guide and control surgical tools, using a probe to collect checkpoints and automatically select planned cuts based on predefined points, ensuring precise execution of cuts and hole creation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual surgical techniques are used to create planar surfaces and pilot holes, then the surgeon has flexibility in execution, but the alignment and positioning accuracy of prosthetic components deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical surgical techniques with a robotic system that uses tracking technology and computer-controlled mechanisms to execute bone cuts and hole creation. The robotic device with tracking system substitutes the surgeon's manual mechanical operations, providing superior precision and repeatability while maintaining surgical flexibility through programmable control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual model or digital copy of the patient's anatomy and surgical plan, then uses this digital representation to guide the physical robotic surgical device. The tracking system continuously monitors and copies the actual surgical execution against the pre-planned virtual model, ensuring alignment accuracy through real-time comparison and correction.
2Productivity
If traditional surgical guidance systems are used, then the surgical process is simple to operate, but the efficiency and productivity of the surgical procedure deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs extensive surgical planning, modeling, and trajectory calculation before the actual surgery begins. The robotic system is pre-programmed with the optimal surgical path, cut angles, and hole positions based on pre-operative imaging and patient-specific anatomy. This preliminary preparation enables faster, more efficient execution during the actual surgical procedure without requiring complex real-time decision-making.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic surgical system incorporates automated tracking, positioning, and execution capabilities that reduce the need for constant surgeon intervention. The system autonomously monitors its own position relative to the patient's anatomy, automatically adjusts for drift or deviation, and executes pre-planned surgical steps with minimal manual input, thereby improving efficiency while maintaining ease of operation.
3Reliability
If automated cut selection is implemented, then the consistency and reliability of surgical plan execution improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a closed-loop feedback system where the tracking technology continuously monitors the robotic device's position and orientation relative to the pre-planned surgical trajectory. The system compares actual execution against the planned path in real-time, detects deviations, and automatically corrects them. This feedback mechanism ensures consistent and reliable plan execution while the computing system manages the complexity of the control algorithms.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic surgical system is designed with multi-functional capabilities that integrate tracking, positioning, cut execution, and automated plan selection within a single unified platform. The same robotic device and control system handle multiple surgical tasks (bone cuts, pilot hole creation, implant positioning) using a common set of sensors, actuators, and software modules, thereby managing complexity through functional integration rather than separate specialized systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of controlling a surgical system includes obtaining a surgical plan containing a plurality of planned cuts, receiving a first cutting tool from a plurality of cutting tools at a surgical device, collecting a first checkpoint by tracking a probe as the probe contacts a first predefined point on the first cutting tool, collecting a second checkpoint by tracking the probe as the probe contacts a second predefined point at a first bone of a patient, automatically selecting a first planned cut from the plurality of planned cuts based on the first checkpoint and the second checkpoint, and, in response to automatically selecting the first planned cut, guiding execution of the first planned cut using the first cutting tool.