Mako Surgical Corporation

Stryker Corporation

Patrick Roessler

David Gene Bowling

José Luis Moctezuma De La Barrera

Joel N Beer

Donald W Malackowski

Jerry A Culp

John Michael Stuart

Michael Dale Dozeman

Michael C Ferko

Hans-Ulrich Becker

Gregory Garcia

Richard Thomas DeLuca

John S Ketchel

Mark Ellsworth Nadzadi

Helmut Rohs

Vladimir Gershuni

Rishabh Khurana

Bharat Arora

Hyosig Kang

Jeremy L Dunn

Christopher Alan Lightcap

Jose-Luis Moctezuma De La Barrera

A surgical navigation system and method of operating the same involve a pointer tool and a localizer configured to track the pointer tool. Controller(s) is/are coupled to the localizer and are configured to generate a virtual boundary relative to a bone at a surgical site. The virtual boundary has a shape that delineates a region of the bone to be removed from a region to be avoided. The controller(s) identify, with the localizer, a position of one or more landmarks at the surgical site in response to the pointer tool touching the one or more landmarks at the surgical site. The controller(s) revise the shape of the virtual boundary based on the position of the one or more landmarks.

Surgical systems and methods for dynamic virtual boundary adjustment

Systems and methods are provided for guiding movement of a tool. The system includes a tool and a manipulator. A guide handler obtains a target state for the tool and generates virtual constraints based on the target state and a current state of the tool. A constraint solver calculates a constraint force adapted to attract the tool toward the target state or repel the tool away from the target state based on the virtual constraints. A virtual simulator simulates dynamics of the tool in a virtual simulation based on the constraint force and input from one or more sensors, to output a commanded pose. The control system commands the manipulator to move the tool based on the commanded pose to thereby provide haptic feedback to the user that guides the user toward placing the tool at the target state or away from the target state.

Systems and methods for guiding movement of a tool

Surgical systems and methods of operating the same involve controlling a robotic manipulator to move a cutting instrument to cut away material from a bone at a surgical site. A machine vision system uses a vision camera to detect an object at, or in proximity to, the surgical site. A control system associates a virtual boundary with the detected object and controls the robotic manipulator to move the cutting instrument based on the virtual boundary such that the cutting instrument avoids the detected object. In one example, the control system modifies a tool path of the cutting instrument based on the virtual boundary to avoid the detected object. Additionally, or alternatively, the control system can automatically adjust an orientation of the cutting instrument based on the virtual boundary to avoid the detected object.

Systems and methods for establishing virtual constraint boundaries

A user control device for a surgical system. The surgical system includes a robotic manipulator to support and move a surgical instrument that has an energy applicator. One or more controllers operate the robotic manipulator in a semi-autonomous mode and calculate an instrument feed rate, which is the velocity at which the energy applicator advances along a tool path in the semi-autonomous mode. The user control device includes a housing configured as a pendant configured to be held in one hand of a user. A first control member is mounted to the housing and can be depressed to initiate operation of the robotic manipulator in the semi-autonomous mode. A second control member is mounted to the housing and can be depressed to modify the instrument feed rate in the semi-autonomous mode.

Hand-held pendant for controlling a surgical robotic manipulator in a semi-autonomous mode

Surgical systems and methods for manipulating an anatomy includes a surgical tool, a robotic manipulator configured to support and move the surgical tool, and controller(s) that generate a virtual boundaries delineating a portions of the anatomy allowed to be removed by the surgical tool. The controller(s) control the robotic manipulator to autonomously move the surgical tool in relation to a first virtual boundary and according to a first feed rate or first frequency of path oscillations to remove a first portion. The controller(s) control the robotic manipulator to autonomously move the surgical tool in relation to a second virtual boundary that is spaced from the first virtual boundary, and according to a different feed rate or different frequency of path oscillations, to remove a second portion.

System and method for manipulating an anatomy

Surgical systems, computer-implemented methods, and software programs for generating a milling path for a bone. The implementations involve obtaining a virtual model of the bone, a resection volume defined relative to the virtual model of the bone, and a reference guide defined with respect to the resection volume. Section planes are successively arranged along the reference guide, and each section plane intersects the reference guide and intersects the resection volume. A section path is generated within each section plane and is defined relative to the resection volume. Transition segments are generated to connect section paths of section planes. The milling path is then generated by combining the section paths and the transition segments.

Techniques for patient-specific milling path generation

A surgical system and method involve a manipulator including a plurality of links and joints and a tool coupled to the manipulator. A navigation system includes a localizer, a first tracker coupled to the robotic manipulator or the tool, and a second tracker coupled to a workpiece. Controller(s) determine, from the navigation system, a pose of the tool relative to the workpiece. The controller(s) control the robotic manipulator to facilitate removal of a first portion from the workpiece with the tool and sense interaction between the tool and the workpiece during removal of the first portion to detect a density of the workpiece. The controller(s) control the robotic manipulator to facilitate removal of a second portion from the workpiece with the tool, wherein a cutting depth for the second portion is based, at least in part, on the detected density.

Robotic systems and methods for controlling a tool to remove material from a workpiece

Robotic surgical systems and methods for controlling movement of a tool relative to a tool path. An input is received from a force/torque sensor in response to user forces/torques manually applied to the tool by a user. A component of force is calculated tangential to the path based on the input. An effective feed rate is calculated to advance the tool along the path based on the tangential component. Virtual constraints are defined on movement of the tool along the path with respect to three degrees of freedom and based on the effective feed rate to promote movement of the tool along the path. Dynamics of the tool are virtually simulated based on the virtual constraints and the input from the force/torque sensor. The manipulator is commanded to advance the tool along the path based on the virtual simulation.

Systems and methods for controlling movement of a surgical tool along a predefined path class

Surgical systems and methods for generating a tool path. A manipulator is configured to support and move a surgical instrument. Controller(s) obtain data that defines a volume of tissue to be removed from a surgical site. The controller(s) operate the manipulator to move the surgical instrument to remove first portions of the volume and acquire data defining the first portions removed from the volume. The controller(s) identify, based on the volume and the acquired data, additional portions of the volume of tissue that require removal. The controller(s) generate a tool path that passes through the additional portions and operate the manipulator to move the surgical instrument along the tool path to remove the additional portions.

Robotic system and method for removing a volume of material from a patient

Surgical systems, computer-implemented methods, and software programs for producing a patient-specific virtual boundary configured to constrain movement and/or operation of a surgical tool in response to the surgical tool interacting with the patient-specific virtual boundary. The implementations include obtaining a generic virtual boundary including a generic surface with a generic edge, and positioning the generic virtual boundary relative to a virtual anatomical model such that the generic surface intersects the virtual anatomical model. The implementations include computing an intersection of the generic surface and the virtual anatomical model to define a cross-sectional contour of the virtual anatomical model, and morphing the generic edge to the cross-sectional contour to produce a customized surface with a patient-specific edge. The implementations include generating a customized face extending from, and along, the patient-specific edge, and producing the patient-specific virtual boundary by merging the customized surface and the customized face.

Techniques for patient-specific morphing of virtual boundaries

A surgical system for manipulating an anatomy includes a surgical tool, a robotic manipulator configured to support and move the surgical tool, and one or more controllers that activate a first virtual boundary delineating a first portion of the anatomy that is allowed to be removed by the surgical tool from a second portion of the anatomy that is protected from removal by the surgical tool. The one or more controllers control the robotic manipulator for enabling the surgical tool to perform fine cutting of the first portion in relation to the first virtual boundary. The one or more controllers control the robotic manipulator for enabling the surgical tool to perform bulk cutting of the second portion of the anatomy.

Systems and methods are provided for controlling robotic movement of a tool based on one or more virtual boundaries. The system comprises a tool and a manipulator to support the tool. A control system controls operation of the manipulator and movement of the tool based on a relationship between the tool and the one or more virtual boundaries associated with a target site. The control system includes a boundary handler to determine whether the tool is in compliance with the one or more virtual boundaries or is in violation of the one or more virtual boundaries.

Systems and methods for controlling robotic movement of a tool based on a virtual boundary

Systems and methods are disclosed comprising a robotic device, an instrument attachable to the robotic device to treat tissue, a vision device attached to the robotic device or instrument, and one or more controllers. The vision device generates vision data sets captured from multiple perspectives of the physical object enabled by the vision device moving in a plurality of degrees of freedom during movement of the robotic device. The controller(s) have at least one processor and are in communication with the vision device. The controller(s) associate a virtual object with the physical object based on one or more features of the physical object identifiable in the vision data sets. The virtual object at least partially defines a virtual boundary defining a constraint on movement of the robotic device relative to the physical object. In some cases, movement of the robotic device is actively constrained by using the virtual boundary.

Systems and methods for identifying and tracking physical objects during a robotic surgical procedure

A surgical system, method, and non-transitory computer readable medium involving a robotic manipulator configured to move a surgical instrument relative to virtual boundaries. A navigation system tracks each of a first object, a second object, and the surgical instrument. The first object is moveable relative to the second object. One or more controllers associate a first virtual boundary with the first object and associate a second virtual boundary with the second object. The first virtual boundary is moveable in relation to the second virtual boundary. The controller(s) control the robotic manipulator in relation to the first virtual boundary to facilitate interaction of the surgical instrument with the first object. The controller(s) control the robotic manipulator in relation to the second virtual boundary to avoid interaction of the surgical instrument with the second object.

A surgical robotic system and method involve a manipulator including a plurality of links and joints and a tool coupled to the manipulator. Controller(s) generate a first tool path to remove a first portion of material from the bone and control the manipulator to position the tool for movement along the first tool path to remove the first portion. The controller(s) sense interaction between the tool and the bone during movement of the tool along the first tool path and generate a second tool path to remove a second portion of material from the bone. Generation of the second tool path is based, at least in part, on the sensed interaction between the tool and the bone during movement along the first tool path. The controller(s) control the manipulator to position the tool for movement along the second tool path to remove the second portion.

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Merzhausen, Germany

Patrick Roessler