Synchronized Robotic Bone Milling With Nerve Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current robotic spinal surgery systems lack the necessary level of robotically coordinated navigation and control, particularly in spinal decompression procedures, leading to potential damage to delicate nerve or spinal cord structures during bone milling due to imprecise coordination between milling and protective tools.
Innovation Solution
A centrally coordinated, synchronized robotic system with multiple robotic arms, each holding a milling tool, protective tool, and navigation camera, controlled by a single control unit, uses active or passive markers for precise navigation and sensing to ensure synchronized movement and protection of anatomical structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple robotic arms are deployed on separate carts with remote control, then system flexibility is improved, but coordination precision and integration into surgical workflow deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple robotic arms onto a single integrated mobile platform with a unified control system, replacing the separate cart architecture. This merging enables precise coordination through centralized control while maintaining surgical workflow integration, resolving the contradiction between flexibility and precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a centralized control unit as an intermediary that coordinates all robotic arms from a single platform. This mediator enables precise synchronization of multiple end effectors during bone milling operations, achieving the coordination precision that was lost in distributed remote control systems.
2Ease of operation
If robotic arms are coordinated by a remotely-positioned control unit, then operational flexibility is improved, but control accuracy for spinal surgery deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit is merged with the robotic platform, creating an integrated system where control and execution occur from a single location. This eliminates the remote control architecture and provides the high accuracy required for spinal surgery while maintaining ease of operation through unified control.
3Productivity
If milling tool is positioned directly adjacent to nerve structures for precise bone milling, then surgical effectiveness is improved, but risk of catastrophic nerve damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a protective tool as an intermediary between the milling tool and nerve structures. This intermediary physically shields the nerves during bone milling, enabling the milling tool to operate close to neural structures for surgical effectiveness while the protective tool prevents catastrophic damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different functional properties to different parts of the surgical system: the milling tool provides aggressive bone removal capability where needed, while the protective tool provides shielding properties specifically at the nerve interface. This local differentiation of tool properties enables both surgical effectiveness and nerve protection.
4Extent of automation
If conventional robotic systems are used for bone milling, then basic automated control is achieved, but robotically coordinated navigation and sensing required for full range of spinal surgery procedures is not available
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal robotic platform that can perform multiple spinal surgery procedures including decompression, fusion, and navigation. The system integrates milling tools, protective tools, cameras, and sensors that can be coordinated for various procedures, providing the adaptability and versatility needed for full range of spinal surgery applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the robotic system into modular components including multiple end effectors, cameras, sensors, and navigation elements that can be independently controlled and coordinated. This segmentation enables the system to adapt to different surgical procedures while maintaining unified control, achieving both automation and versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are robotically coordinated systems and methods for safe and efficient spinal decompression and bone milling. In various embodiments, a robotic spinal surgery system is provided with at least three robotic arms co-located on a single mobile base wherein the movement of the robotic arms is coordinated by a central control unit on the base. The system further comprises tools for spinal decompression, elements for protection of nervous tissue and navigation cameras. The nerve protection elements are placed between bony anatomy structures and nervous structures to prevent contact of the spinal decompression tools with the nervous structures. The nerve protection elements further include safety components that can optionally close electrical circuits with the decompression tools and sense or stimulate the nervous structures. Methods of deploying the inventive system in surgery are also provided.