DEVICE FOR IMPROVING THE ACCURACY OF MANUAL OPERATIONS

• US 20120143084A1
• Filed: 08/17/2010
• Published: 06/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mazor Robotics, Ltd (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Mazor Robotics, Ltd (Medtronic Plc)
• Inventors: Shoham, Moshe
• Granted Patent: US 10,828,786 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/567
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/1675 for the knee
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00106 ultrasonic
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2055 Optical tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/304 including a freely orientable platform, e.g. so called 'Stewart platforms'
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/061 for measuring dimensions, e.g. length
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/30 Surgical robots
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 17/0216 comprising a stewart mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1676 Avoiding collision or forbidden zones

Abstract

A hand held robotic system that remains stiff so long as it is operating within allowed limits, but which become actively controlled once the operator exceeds those limits. The system thus corrects deviations by more than a predetermined amount of the operator'"'"'s hand motions, so that the tool remains in the allowed region even when the operator'"'"'s hand deviates from the planned trajectory. The pose and path of the robotic operating head is ascertained by means of a navigation or tracking system, or by means of a proximity device to measure the closeness of the operating head to a damage sensitive feature. As the tool deviates from its predetermined path or pose, or comes too close to the hazardous area, the robot control acts to move the tool back to its predetermined pose or path, or away from the hazardous region, independently of user'"'"'s hand movement.

Claims

1. A robotic system comprising:

a hand held robotic operating head comprising;

a gripping body adapted to be held by the operator; and

a robot having a base and a robotically controlled platform, said base being attached to said gripping body, and said robotically controlled platform bearing an operating tool; and

a detection system adapted to relate the position of said operating tool relative to a region of an object where said operating tool is forbidden to operate,

wherein said robot is adapted to use an output from said detection system to change the pose of said robotically controlled platform if said gripping body deviates by a amount which would cause said operating tool to operate in said forbidden region.

2. A robotic system according to claim 1 wherein said region where said operating tool is forbidden to operate is a region in which said operating tool deviates by more than a predetermined amount from a preset path of operation.

3. A robotic system according to claim 1 wherein said region where said operating tool is forbidden to operate is a region which deviates more than a predetermined amount from a surgical plan for execution on a subject.

4. A robotic system according to claim 2, wherein said operating tool is a surgical tool for performing an orthopedic operation on a bone of the subject.

5. A robotic system according claim 1, wherein said detection system comprises a tracking system which detects the pose of at least one of said gripping body, said robotically controlled platform, said operating tool and said object containing said region in which said operating tool is forbidden to operate.

6. A robotic system according to claim 1 wherein said region where said operating tool is forbidden to operate is a region which is closer by more than a predetermined distance from a feature which may be damaged by said operating tool.

7. A robotic system according to claim 6 wherein said operating tool is forbidden to operate is a region which deviates more than a predetermined amount from a surgical plan for execution on a subject.

8. A robotic system according to claim 6, wherein said operating tool is a surgical tool for performing a surgical procedure in soft tissue close to a damage sensitive organ of a subject.

9. A robotic system according to claim 6, wherein said surgical tool is any one of a biopsy needle, a drug delivery needle, and a scalpel.

10. A robotic system according to any of claims 6 to 9, wherein said surgical procedure is any one of tumor removal, biopsy performance, and drug delivery.

11. A robotic system according to claim 8, wherein said damage sensitive organ is any one of a nerve, a blood vessel, a bodily organ, and a sensitive region of the brain.

12. A robotic system according to claim 6, wherein said detection system comprises a proximity sensor for determining the distance of said operating tool to said damage sensitive area.

13. A robotic system according to claim 12, wherein said proximity sensor comprises either of an ultrasound Doppler blood flow sensor, or a neural monitor.

14. A robotic system comprising:

a hand held robotic operating head comprising;

a gripping body adapted to be held by the operator; and

a robot having its base attached to said gripping body, and bearing an operating tool on its robotically controlled platform;

a tracking system to register said hand held robotic operating head with an object on which said operating tool is to operate; and

a controller adapted to change the pose of said robotically controlled platform if said gripping body deviates by more than a predetermined amount from a predetermined path of operation on said object.

15. A robotic system according to claim 14 wherein said object on which said operating tool is to operate is a subject'"'"'s bone, and said operating tool is a surgical tool for performing an orthopedic operation on said bone.

16. A robotic system according to claim 14 wherein said tracking system comprises a tracker head mounted on said object on which said operating tool is to operate and a tracking target mounted on at least one of said gripping body of said robotic operating head or said robotically controlled platform.

17. A robotic system according to claim 14 wherein said tracking system comprises a tracker head mounted on at least one of said gripping body on said robotic operating head or said robotically controlled platform, and a tracking target mounted on said object on which said operating tool is to operate.

18. A robotic system comprising:

a hand held robotic operating head comprising;

a gripping body adapted to be held by the operator; and

a robot having its base attached to said gripping body, and bearing an operating tool on its robotically controlled platform;

a position detection system to relate the proximity of said operating tool to an object which said operating tool is forbidden to approach by a predetermined distance; and

a controller adapted to change the pose of said robotically controlled platform if said gripping body deviates by an amount which would cause said operating tool to approach said object by less than said predetermined distance.

19. A robotic system according to claim 18 wherein said object is a damage sensitive feature of a subject.

20. A robotic system according to claim 19 wherein said damage sensitive feature of a subject is any one of a blood vessel, a nerve, a bodily organ and a sensitive brain section.

21. A robotic system according to claim 18 wherein said position detection system is a proximity sensor.