Robotic Orthopedic System for Precise Bone Fragment Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional surgical techniques for long bone fractures face challenges such as accurate reduction difficulties, high radiation exposure, malalignment, and soft tissue damage due to the minimally invasive nature of intramedullary nailing, leading to nonunion complications and suboptimal clinical outcomes.
Innovation Solution
A robotic system with a fixed and moving frame, stabilized by leg structures and actuators, allows for precise alignment and attachment of bone fragments, enabling guided orthopedic surgery with real-time image capture and computer-controlled actuation to achieve optimal fragment alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional surgical techniques are used for intramedullary nailing, then the procedure is minimally invasive, but accurate reduction of bone fragments is difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical manipulation with an automated robotic system that uses computer-controlled actuators to precisely position and align bone fragments. The robotic arm with gripper mechanism substitutes the surgeon's hands, providing automated, high-precision reduction while maintaining minimally invasive access through small incisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a digital replica or model of the desired bone alignment based on preoperative planning and imaging data. The robotic system then replicates this planned configuration by precisely positioning bone fragments according to the virtual model, ensuring accurate reduction matches the optimal alignment pattern.
2Device complexity
If conventional surgical techniques are used, then the procedure can be performed with standard equipment, but radiation exposure to patient and operating team is high
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs comprehensive imaging and surgical planning before the actual surgery. Preoperative CT scans and 3D modeling are completed in advance, allowing the robotic system to navigate and align bone fragments using previously acquired anatomical data, thereby minimizing the need for intraoperative radiation imaging.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic system incorporates real-time feedback mechanisms through imaging integration and position sensing. The system continuously monitors bone fragment positions and adjusts accordingly, reducing the need for repeated radiation-based imaging during the procedure and lowering overall radiation exposure to both patient and surgical team.
3Device complexity
If conventional techniques are used for bone fragment manipulation, then the surgery can be performed with simple tools, but malalignment of bony fragments frequently occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces simple manual tools with a sophisticated robotic system that uses computer-controlled actuators, sensors, and algorithms to achieve precise alignment. The robotic arm with multi-degree-of-freedom joints substitutes basic surgical instruments, providing automated, high-precision positioning that eliminates the malalignment issues associated with manual manipulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts multiple parameters including position, orientation, and alignment angles of bone fragments in real-time. The robotic control system modifies these parameters based on feedback from sensors and imaging data, ensuring optimal alignment that cannot be achieved with fixed, simple tools.
4Ease of operation
If repeated reduction attempts are made with conventional techniques, then the surgeon can try to achieve alignment, but soft tissue damages occur due to large manipulation forces
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system replaces manual manipulation with automated, computer-controlled forces. The robotic gripper applies precise, controlled forces to move bone fragments, eliminating the large, uncontrolled manipulation forces that cause soft tissue damage during repeated manual reduction attempts.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the magnitude and distribution of manipulation forces by using automated robotic actuators instead of manual surgical tools. The robotic system applies smaller, more precisely controlled forces that achieve reduction without the tissue-damaging effects of repeated strong manual manipulations.
Data Source
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AI summary
A surgical robot includes a fixed frame and a moving frame, each having an open space in a center region and may be formed as a partially open ring. The robot also includes three leg structures connecting the fixed frame and the moving frame, and enabling the moving frame to move relative to the fixed frame. The robot also includes a stabilizer for holding an anatomical structure in the open space of each frame. Each leg structure may include a linear component coupled to the moving frame, a rotary component mounted to the fixed frame, and a connector connecting between the two. Each of the linear component and the rotary component may have a rotary actuator that can be controlled by a computer. The robot may be controllable by a computer to assist a reduction procedure of long bone fractures or pelvis surgery.