Medical Robot Mobile Base Positioning Without External Tracking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical robots require manual positioning, which can lead to errors and inefficiencies due to reliance on operator training and experience, and necessitate specific room preparation and mapping, limiting their flexibility and reliability in executing medical interventions.
Innovation Solution
A medical robot with a motorized mobile base and control unit that autonomously detects the patient's anatomy and identifies optimal positions using onboard sensors, allowing it to move to a favorable position without pre-existing room mapping or specific setup, enabling precise and flexible intervention execution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual positioning is used, then operator experience can guide placement, but positioning errors and suboptimal positioning occur
Solution Approach 1:
The medical robot performs self-positioning by autonomously detecting the operating room layout, patient table position, and anatomy of interest using onboard sensors, then automatically navigating to the optimal position without requiring external tracking systems or manual operator intervention for positioning
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical positioning with automated sensor-based detection and control systems that use cameras, depth sensors, and processing units to determine optimal position and guide the robot's movement autonomously
2Extent of automation
If external tracking systems with markers are used, then automatic positioning can be achieved, but system complexity and installation requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the external tracking system and markers from the positioning architecture, replacing them with onboard sensors mounted on the robot itself that directly detect the operating room environment, patient table, and anatomy without requiring separate tracking infrastructure
Solution Approach 2:
The onboard sensors serve multiple functions: detecting the operating room layout, locating the patient table, identifying the anatomy of interest, and guiding navigation, thereby replacing the specialized external tracking system with a multi-functional integrated sensor system
3Measurement precision
If room mapping is required, then precise positioning can be achieved, but operational flexibility and ease of deployment decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The robot performs preliminary detection of the operating room layout, patient table position, and anatomy of interest using its onboard sensors during the initial setup phase, automatically creating a spatial model without requiring pre-existing room maps or manual preparation
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-positioning by autonomously detecting and adapting to the specific operating room environment in real-time, eliminating the need for pre-mapped rooms or specific installation requirements, allowing deployment in any standard operating room
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a medical robot (10) comprising a motorized mobile base (13), spatial-location sensors (17) secured to the mobile base, and a control unit (16) that stores in memory an intervention plan comprising at least one action to be performed on the anatomy of interest of a patient (30). The control unit is configured to: - detect, from information coming from the spatial-location sensors(17), a position of the anatomy of interest of the patient with respect to the medical robot, - identify, from the position of the anatomy of interest of the patient and from the intervention plan, at least one favourable position of the mobile base of the medical robot for which position the medical robot is capable of performing the action or actions from the intervention plan, - move the mobile base of the medical robot into an optimal position selected from among the favourable position or positions identified.