Sterile Restart Control for Surgical Robotic Instrument Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical robotic systems require restarts that compromise sterility, leading to significant delays in surgical procedures due to the need to breach the sterile field during instrument release or system restart.
Innovation Solution
A surgical robotic system with a controller that allows for restarts and instrument releases from within the sterile field without compromising sterility, using sterile handles and actuators to control slave manipulators and instruments, and a centralized restart mechanism accessible within the sterile zone.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a restart mechanism is provided outside the sterile field, then the system can be restarted, but the sterile field must be compromised which causes significant delays
Solution Approach 1:
A sterile barrier with a restart mechanism integrated into it serves as an intermediary structure. The barrier maintains the sterile field while the embedded restart mechanism allows system recovery without breaching sterility. This resolves the contradiction by providing a restart capability that operates within the sterile constraint rather than requiring external access that would compromise sterility and cause delays.
Solution Approach 2:
The restart mechanism is nested within the sterile barrier structure. The barrier itself contains the restart functionality, allowing the system to be restarted from within the sterile field without external intervention. This nesting approach enables the restart operation to occur inside the sterile zone, eliminating the need to breach the barrier and thus avoiding procedural delays.
2Reliability
If the restart mechanism is integrated into the sterile barrier, then the sterile field is maintained, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sterile barrier is designed to serve multiple functions: maintaining the sterile field and providing a restart mechanism. By making the barrier multi-functional, the solution avoids adding separate complex restart systems while still achieving sterile restart capability. This universal approach maintains reliability through the barrier's dual purpose without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The restart mechanism is merged with the sterile barrier structure rather than being a separate component. This integration combines two functions (sterility maintenance and system restart) into a single unified structure, reducing overall system complexity compared to having distinct restart systems. The merged design achieves reliable sterile restart capability while minimizing additional complexity through functional consolidation.
3Ease of operation
If instruments must be released from the patient before restart, then the system can be restarted, but the sterile field is compromised and surgery is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The sterile barrier acts as an intermediary that allows instrument release operations to occur within the sterile field without compromising sterility. The barrier provides a controlled interface where instruments can be managed and the system restarted while maintaining the sterile environment. This enables restart operations to proceed without requiring instrument removal that would breach the sterile field, thus improving surgical efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The restart mechanism is made accessible and operable in advance within the sterile field, allowing the system to be restarted before instruments need to be released from the patient. This preliminary readiness enables smoother, faster restart operations without requiring time-consuming sterile field breaches, thereby improving overall surgical productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to surgical robotic systems having a master console and slave manipulators, with components and features for enabling a restart without comprising the sterility of the surgical robotic system. In some embodiments, an apparatus can include a restart of a surgical robotic system that is configured to be activated by a sterile user from within a sterile field without compromising the sterile field, and a controller operatively coupled to the restart that is configured to detect that the restart has been activated and, in response to detecting that the restart has been activated, restart the surgical robotic system.