Robotic Surgical Tool Motion Control for Slingshot Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robotically-assisted surgical systems face challenges in maintaining precise control over surgical tools due to potential slingshot behavior when external forces deviate the tool from its planned path, leading to unexpected and undesirable movements.
Innovation Solution
A surgical system with a controller that defines a target pose and planned path for the robotic arm, detects deviations during automated motion, and stops the motion in response to detect deviations, preventing slingshot behavior by switching to manual control or adjusting the path.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If automated motion control is used to guide the surgical tool along a planned path, then precision and consistency of surgical procedure are improved, but the system becomes vulnerable to slingshot behavior when external forces deviate the tool from the path
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors the position of the surgical tool relative to the planned path and detects deviations caused by external forces. This feedback mechanism enables real-time identification of slingshot behavior and triggers appropriate corrective actions to maintain system reliability while preserving positioning precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares for potential slingshot behavior by establishing predetermined response protocols. When a deviation is detected, the system has pre-configured corrective measures ready to be executed, cushioning against the harmful effects of slingshot behavior before they can compromise surgical precision.
2Reliability
If the system stops automated motion upon detecting deviation to prevent slingshot behavior, then safety is improved, but surgical procedure time increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of completely stopping automated motion for minor deviations, the system applies partial corrective actions proportional to the deviation magnitude. This allows the surgical procedure to continue with minimal interruption while still preventing harmful slingshot behavior, thus maintaining safety without excessive time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements periodic monitoring and corrective adjustments rather than continuous stopping. By checking for deviations at regular intervals and applying corrective actions only when necessary, the system maintains safety while minimizing interruptions to the surgical workflow and reducing overall procedure time.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical system includes a tool, a robot configured to move the tool, and a controller. The controller is programed to generate a plan for the robot to move, in a planned amount of time, the tool from a starting pose to a target pose, control the robot to provide automated movement of the tool based on the plan such that the robot moves the tool toward the target pose without requiring user assistance, and stop the automated movement if the target pose is not reached after the automated movement for the planned amount of time.