Mako Surgical Corporation

Delco Electronics Corporation

Christopher Wayne Jones

David Gene Bowling

Hyosig Kang

Jienan Ding

Greg McEwan

Paul Shiels

Larry D O'Cull

Lucas Gsellman

Patrick C Kelly

Surgical systems and methods involve a robotic manipulator with a force sensor and a surgical tool that holds a screw. The screw has a known thread geometry. A navigation system tracks a pose of a target anatomy. Controller(s) store the known thread geometry and control the robotic manipulator to maintain the rotational axis on a planned trajectory with respect to the target anatomy based on the tracked pose of the target anatomy. The controller(s) detect, with the force sensor, a force applied by a user. The controller(s) control a rotational rate of the surgical tool to rotate the screw about a rotational axis and an advancement rate of the surgical tool to linearly advance the screw along the planned trajectory. The rotational rate and the advancement rate are based on the force applied by the user and are proportional to the known thread geometry.

Robotic spine surgery system and methods

An assembly for a surgical arm includes a tool to position a prosthesis and an end effector. The tool has a tool shaft extending along a tool axis and a tool engagement surface. The end effector has a mount attachable to the surgical arm, a body portion extending from the mount, a distal end, and a guide portion is at the distal end of the body portion to receive the tool. The guide portion has a pair of arms, each arm extending to an arm end and the arm ends are spaced apart from one another to provide an opening between the arm ends. A channel is formed between the arms and extends along a guide axis. The arms define an arc-shaped guide engagement surface to enable contact with the tool engagement surface for facilitating alignment of the tool axis and the guide axis.

Systems, methods, and end effectors for guiding prostheses

A robotic system and methods for performing spine surgery are disclosed. The system comprises a robotic manipulator with a tool to hold a screw and to rotate the screw about a rotational axis. The screw is self-tapping and has a known thread geometry that is stored by one or more controllers. A navigation system tracks a position of a target anatomy. Movement of the robotic manipulator is controlled to maintain the rotational axis of the surgical tool along a planned trajectory with respect to the target anatomy based on the tracked position of the target anatomy. In autonomous or manual modes of operation, the rotational rate of the screw about the rotational axis and/or an advancement rate of the screw linearly along the planned trajectory is controlled to be proportional to the known thread geometry stored in the memory.

An end effector for impacting a prosthesis at a surgical site along a trajectory maintained by a surgical robot. The end effector comprises an impactor assembly and a guide. The impactor assembly has a head to receive impact force, an interface to releasably attach to the prosthesis, a shaft extending along an impactor axis between the head and the interface, and an impactor engagement surface disposed between the head and the interface. The guide is adapted to attach to the surgical robot and comprises a channel extending along a guide axis and defining an opening arranged to receive a portion of the shaft of the impactor assembly, a guide engagement surface shaped to abut the impactor engagement surface, and a limiter to maintain abutment of the impactor engagement surface with the guide engagement surface to facilitate coaxial alignment of the axes with the trajectory maintained by the surgical robot.

End effectors, systems, and methods for impacting prosthetics guided by surgical robots

A robotic system and methods for performing spine surgery are disclosed. The system comprises a robotic manipulator with a tool to hold a screw and to rotate the screw about a rotational axis. The screw is self-tapping and has a known thread geometry that is stored by a controller. A navigation system tracks a position of a target site. Movement of the robotic manipulator is controlled to maintain the rotational axis of the surgical tool along a planned trajectory with respect to the target site based on the tracked position of the target site. In autonomous or manual modes of operation, the rotational rate of the screw about the rotational axis and/or an advancement rate of the screw linearly along the planned trajectory is controlled to be proportional to the known thread geometry stored in the memory.

A motor vehicle has front and rear electric motor driven wiper mechanisms including front and rear control switches effective to independently activate and deactivate front and rear wiper operation and front and rear park switches effective to independently provide, for each of the front and rear wipers, automatic wiper parking when the respective control switch is turned off. The vehicle has a driveline transmission with a reverse indicator and a control circuit responsive to the reverse indicator to interconnect the rear wiper motor with the front wiper control switch and disconnect the rear part switch when vehicle reverse operation is indicated.

Growing community of inventors

Kokomo, IN, United States of America

Christopher Wayne Jones