Root Canal Robot with Four-DOF Optical Fiber
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing manual root canal treatment methods are laborious, inefficient, and prone to errors, leading to fatigue, instrument fractures, and incomplete treatments, especially in cases of severely calcified root canals.
Innovation Solution
A root canal treatment robot equipped with a four-degree-of-freedom optical fiber system, allowing for precise movement and bending within the root canal, along with a gas/liquid circuit unit and a tooth retainer, to automate the root canal treatment process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual root canal treatment is performed by dentists, then the treatment can be completed with simple equipment, but the process is laborious, inefficient, and leads to dentist fatigue and instrument fractures
Solution Approach 1:
The robot system performs root canal treatment operations autonomously without requiring continuous manual intervention. The robotic arm navigates and operates instruments automatically, allowing the system to serve itself in completing treatment tasks, thereby eliminating dentist fatigue while maintaining high efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical operation system with an automated robotic mechanical system. The robotic arm with multiple degrees of freedom substitutes the dentist's hand operations, providing precise control and eliminating human fatigue while improving treatment efficiency and consistency
2Loss of time
If manual methods are used to negotiate root canals, then the equipment is simple, but the process takes one or two hours for obstructed canals and may cause instrument fractures
Solution Approach 1:
The robot system incorporates real-time feedback mechanisms including force sensors and vision systems that monitor the treatment process. When encountering resistance or potential fracture risks in obstructed root canals, the system automatically adjusts its force and navigation, preventing instrument fractures while reducing treatment time through optimized negotiation paths
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic arm provides dynamic, adaptive control during root canal negotiation. The system can real-time adjust its movement parameters, applied force, and navigation path based on feedback from sensors, allowing efficient passage through obstructed canals while minimizing the risk of instrument fracture compared to static manual operations
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If root canal microscope is used to find root canal orifice, then observation capability is improved, but the process is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the optical microscope system with a robotic vision and sensing system. The robotic arm equipped with sensors and cameras automatically detects and locates root canal orifices, eliminating the need for time-consuming microscopic observation while providing more precise and rapid detection capability
Solution Approach 2:
The robot system creates a digital model or map of the root canal structure through sensing and imaging, replacing the need for continuous microscopic observation. This digital copy allows the system to navigate and detect orifices efficiently without the time loss and expense of traditional microscope-based methods
Data Source
AI summary
A root canal treatment robot and a treatment method using the same. In the robot, a pan tilt, and a working optical fiber are driven by an x-axis movement unit and a y-axis movement unit to move on the x-y plane, and the working optical fiber is further driven by a z-axis movement unit to move along the z-axis, and driven by an a-axis movement unit to rotate around the z-axis.