Robotic Arm Auto-Positioning for Surgical Registration Accuracy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current surgical systems for orthopedic surgeries, such as robotically-assisted systems, face challenges in accurately positioning and aligning surgical tools during joint replacement procedures, leading to inefficiencies and potential inaccuracies in creating planar surfaces and pilot holes for prosthetic integration.
Innovation Solution
A surgical system comprising a robotic arm with a tracking system and controller that automatically moves to a predetermined starting pose for registration or calibration, enabling precise registration and calibration routines to ensure accurate alignment and positioning of surgical tools for bone modifications and prosthetic implantation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual positioning and alignment methods are used for surgical tools, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision and measurement precision deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical positioning with an automated robotic system that uses motorized actuators and computer control to position the surgical tool. The robotic arm with multiple degrees of freedom provides precise positioning through electronic control rather than manual mechanical adjustment, directly resolving the contradiction between positioning precision and system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic system performs self-positioning and self-alignment through automated control algorithms. The system autonomously calculates the starting pose, determines the registration routine parameters, and executes the positioning without requiring manual intervention, thereby achieving high precision while maintaining manageable system complexity through automation.
2Productivity
If automated motorized movement is implemented for the robotic arm, then productivity and measurement precision improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary positioning actions by automatically moving the robotic arm to the starting pose before the registration routine begins. The controller pre-calculates the required pose based on tracking system data and executes the movement in advance, improving registration efficiency while the modular control architecture manages the increased system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The tracking system continuously monitors the position of markers on the robotic arm and base, providing real-time feedback to the controller. This feedback loop enables the system to automatically adjust and verify positioning accuracy, improving productivity through automated closed-loop control while managing complexity through systematic feedback integration.
3Measurement precision
If the robotic arm automatically moves to the starting pose, then measurement precision and reliability improve, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic arm performs self-positioning to the starting pose autonomously based on tracking system data and controller calculations. The system automatically determines the correct pose, executes the movement, and verifies alignment without requiring manual operator intervention, thereby achieving high measurement precision while the automated nature simplifies the operational process.
Solution Approach 2:
Manual operator control of the robotic arm positioning is replaced with automated electronic control. The controller uses tracking system feedback to automatically calculate and execute the movement to the starting pose, replacing manual mechanical operation with automated electronic actuation, which improves alignment accuracy while changing the nature of operator interaction to higher-level supervision.
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 solution enhances the precision and efficiency of surgical procedures by ensuring accurate alignment and positioning of surgical tools, improving the outcome of joint replacement surgeries by facilitating better implant integration and biomechanical alignment.
Implementation Method 1
a tracking system configured to track at least one of a first marker attached to a distal end of the robotic arm and a second marker attached to the base
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical system includes a robotic arm extending from a base, a tracking system configured to track at least one of a first marker attached to a distal end of the robotic arm and a second marker attached to the base, and a controller. The controller is configured to obtain an indication that the base is in position for performing a surgical operation, determine a starting pose for a registration routine for the robotic arm, control the robotic arm to automatically move to the starting pose for the registration or calibration routine, and in response to successful automatic movement to the starting pose for the registration or calibration routine, perform the registration or calibration routine for the robotic arm.