Variable Remote Center Distance for Robotic Cannula Navigation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical robotic systems face challenges in efficiently navigating medical instruments through complex anatomical pathways while maintaining a stable remote center of motion, leading to increased friction and difficulty in accessing target sites during procedures like laparoscopy and endoscopy.
Innovation Solution
A robotically-enabled medical system with independently controllable robotic arms and instrument drivers that allow for telescopic extension and independent manipulation of medical instruments, combined with a virtual rail system for precise navigation and reduced friction, enabling enhanced access to target sites while maintaining a remote center of motion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a robotically-enabled medical system enforces a remote center of motion for instrument rotation, then the medical instrument can be precisely manipulated through the cannula, but the system complexity increases due to the need for multiple degrees of freedom in robotic linkages
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the remote center distance parameter based on the specific surgical procedure and anatomical requirements. The robotic arm can modify its kinematic constraints in real-time, transitioning between different remote center distances to optimize both precision and accessibility for various surgical tasks
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements variable remote center distance as a controllable parameter. By changing the remote center distance parameter, the system adapts its degrees of freedom to match the specific procedural needs, allowing precise instrument manipulation while reducing unnecessary mechanical complexity
2Adaptability or versatility
If the remote center distance is fixed, then the robotic arm structure is simplified, but the ability to access different target sites and navigate complex anatomical pathways is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The remote center distance is implemented as a dynamic parameter that can be adjusted during surgical procedures. This allows the robotic arm to adapt its kinematic configuration for different target sites and anatomical pathways without requiring permanently complex mechanical structures
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic arm is designed with universal adaptability through variable remote center distance capability, enabling a single robotic system to perform multiple surgical tasks and access various target sites by reconfiguring its kinematic constraints rather than requiring multiple specialized robotic arms
3Length of moving object
If telescopic extension is used to reach deeper target sites, then the maximum insertion distance is increased, but the friction and difficulty in navigating the instrument through the cannula increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically optimizes the remote center distance based on the insertion depth and target location. As the instrument extends deeper into the patient, the robotic arm adjusts the remote center parameter to maintain optimal manipulation characteristics, reducing friction and easing operation throughout the insertion process
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the remote center distance parameter in response to insertion depth, the system maintains ease of operation across the full range of motion. This parameter adjustment compensates for the increased friction associated with deeper insertion, allowing smooth instrument manipulation regardless of extension length
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Systems and methods for adjusting remote center distances in medical procedures are provided. In one aspect, a robotic medical system includes a first robotic arm including a first instrument driver, wherein the first instrument driver is configured to manipulate a first tool that passes through a first cannula, and a second robotic arm including a second instrument driver, wherein the second instrument driver is configured to manipulate a second tool that passes through a second cannula. The first tool is configured to rotate about a first remote center of motion and the second tool is configured to rotate about a second remote center of motion. A first remote center distance between the first robotic arm and the first remote center of motion is different from a second remote center distance between the second robotic arm and the second remote center of motion.