Robotic Arm Trajectory Correction for Respiratory Motion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current robotic-assisted surgical systems face challenges in accurately compensating for patient breathing movements during spine surgeries, particularly due to limitations in measuring and anticipating the three-dimensional displacements of vertebrae, which can lead to reduced precision and increased risk of damage.

Innovation Solution

A robotic medical device that monitors patient breathing using a mechanical ventilator to record respiratory positions, synchronizes image capture with ventilation cycles, calculates three-dimensional displacement vectors, and corrects the robotic arm's trajectory to adapt to and anticipate anatomical movements, ensuring precise alignment and minimizing invasive procedures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If a robotic system is used to replace the surgeon's hand for better precision, then surgical precision is improved, but the system cannot compensate for breathing-induced movements in real-time

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesurgical precisionVSAvoidreal-time movement compensation
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system continuously monitors the patient's breathing movements using optical tracking of markers and feeds this information back to the robotic control system. The control system then adjusts the robotic arm's position in real-time to compensate for the measured movements, maintaining surgical precision despite patient respiration.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

Markers are pre-positioned on the patient's anatomy and the robotic system is pre-calibrated with the relationship between marker positions and surgical target locations. This preliminary setup enables the system to predict and compensate for breathing-induced movements without requiring real-time manual intervention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If markers are positioned on multiple vertebrae to improve measurement accuracy, then measurement precision is improved, but the invasiveness and complexity of the procedure increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevertebrae movement measurementVSAvoidnumber of markers required
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

A single optical tracking camera system performs multiple functions: it tracks multiple markers simultaneously, measures three-dimensional movements, and provides real-time feedback for robotic compensation. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate measurement systems for each vertebra.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses optical markers that create visual copies or representations of the vertebrae positions. These optical copies are tracked in three-dimensional space without requiring physical attachment to multiple vertebrae, reducing invasiveness while maintaining measurement capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Manufacturing precision

If the robotic arm follows a static pre-programmed trajectory, then the robotic system operates with high precision, but it cannot adapt to dynamic breathing movements of the patient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improverobotic trajectory precisionVSAvoidtrajectory adaptation to breathing
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The robotic control system transitions from static pre-programmed trajectories to dynamic adaptive trajectories. The system continuously updates the target position based on real-time breathing measurements, allowing the robotic arm to follow a dynamically adjusted path that maintains precision despite patient movement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

Real-time feedback from breathing monitoring is integrated into the trajectory control loop. The system compares the actual patient position with the planned trajectory and automatically adjusts the robotic arm's path to maintain alignment with the surgical target, combining high precision with adaptive capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP2797540B1Robotic medical device for monitoring the respiration of a patient and correcting the trajectory of a robotic arm
Publication Date: 2020.10.07 MEDTECH SA
  • EP2797540B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~3

AI summary

The present invention relates to a robotic medical device for monitoring the respiration of a patient and correcting robotic trajectory, comprising: at least one robotic arm; a mechanical ventilator, to which the respiration of a patient is subjected; means for recording, on the basis of time, times during said mechanical ventilation when said patient is in an original position and a high position; means for capturing images of an anatomical region of said patient, the triggering of said means being synchronised with the times recorded in said original position and said high position; means for calculating a three-dimensional displacement vector of said region between said original and high positions; means for correcting the trajectory of said robotic arm on the basis of the calculated three-dimensional vector.