Robotic Spinal Rod Bending System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manual rod bending in spinal surgeries is a skill-intensive task that can lead to rod damage, requires high precision, and often necessitates redoing the entire procedure if not done correctly, with existing assisted intra-operative bending methods having limitations and low adoption.
Innovation Solution
A robotic and navigated rod bending system that includes a bender box with a bend mandrel and rod cutter assembly, attachable to a robot, allowing for automated or navigated feeding and bending of spinal rods into complex three-dimensional shapes to match the patient's spine, align with screw heads, and achieve desired correction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual rod bending is used, then the surgeon can control the bending process, but it is skill-intensive and prone to rod damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical bending operations with an automated robotic bending system. The robotic system uses motorized actuators to apply controlled forces to the rod, eliminating manual skill requirements while maintaining precision. The robot can automatically follow pre-planned bending paths and apply appropriate forces to avoid rod damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates navigation software that automatically generates bending plans based on pre-operative imaging and surgical goals. The system self-calculates the optimal bending sequence, forces, and paths, reducing reliance on surgeon expertise while maintaining high precision in rod contouring.
2Productivity
If manual rod bending is used, then flexibility in real-time adjustments is maintained, but operative time increases and surgeon fatigue occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs pre-operative planning using navigation software to calculate the optimal rod bending sequence and forces required to achieve the desired spinal correction. This preliminary planning is done based on pre-operative imaging and surgical goals, allowing the actual intraoperative bending process to be more efficient and less time-consuming.
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic bending system maintains continuous, controlled application of force throughout the bending process, eliminating the intermittent adjustments and trial-and-error approaches of manual bending. The robot can smoothly transition between different bending phases and maintain precise control throughout the entire contouring process.
3Extent of automation
If assisted intra-operative bending is used, then some automation is achieved, but adoption remains low due to limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic bending system is designed to work with various rod types, diameters, and bending configurations. The system can accommodate different surgical scenarios and patient anatomies through programmable control, making it universally applicable across different surgical cases while maintaining high precision and reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Rod bending instruments, systems, and methods thereof are associated with robotic and navigated bending of a rod for spinal surgeries. A system for bending a spinal rod includes a rod bending assembly and an automatic or navigated feeding system. The rod bending assembly includes a bender box having a fixed coupling member and an actuated coupling member. A rod cutter is attachable to the fixed coupling member and a bending mandrel is attachable to the actuated coupling member, for example, over a sterile drape. The automatic or navigated feeding system is configured to feed a spinal rod into the rod bending assembly to bend and contour the spinal rod into a complex three-dimensional shape.