AI-Powered Robotic Surgery

Predictive algorithm to prevent twitching and over-travel during stapling in robotic and powered handheld surgical staplers. The algorithm estimates the end stop position of the stapler drive mechanism before reaching physical limits. It calculates the stop position based on the motor torque or strain during firing, adds an offset, and continuously updates the estimate. This prevents over-travel and twitching by stopping the motor at the calculated end stop instead of the actual mechanical limit.

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Robotic-assisted ablation systems for treating lung diseases like chronic bronchitis that involves endoluminal access and ablation of airway walls. The systems use robotics to precisely navigate and deliver ablation treatment to optimize lung tissue coverage, contact, and avoidance of lesion overlap. The systems involve planning ablation treatment based on segmented lung images, generating bridged models to fill gaps, and providing navigation guidance to perform the treatments. The robotic manipulation allows controlled motion rates and sensor feedback to evaluate contact during ablation.

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Automated prostate surgery using an energy source inside the urethra to remove tissue around the lumen. The surgery is planned based on pre-operative images and automated control moves the energy source to remove a pre-defined volume. Real-time assessment of the prostate during surgery helps adjust the plan. An imaging device provides synchronized views of the prostate and planned removal profile. An expandable anchor inside the urethra aids positioning. The automated controller moves the energy source radially to treat the tissue. The controller can override and pulse width modulation is used. The automated control aligns the treatment axis with the patient's axis. An input device like an interstitial imaging device guides the surgery.

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Detecting and preventing staple malformation during surgical stapling procedures using a smart end effector. The end effector has sensors to measure forces and positions during stapling. A control circuit analyzes the sensor data to detect staple malformation. If malformation is detected, it pauses the stapling process and resumes with modified parameters based on the tissue response during the pause. This predictively autonomously optimizes pauses to reduce staple malformation.

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Real-time balancing of artificial joints during surgery using feedback devices to optimize range of motion and prevent issues like wear, instability, and loosening. The joint replacement implant has sensors and actuators between the bony structures. During the surgery, forces, positions, and rotations are measured and recommendations made for adjustments to balance the joint. The actuators then move the implant components to implement the recommended corrections. This iterative balancing improves joint function and reduces post-op issues compared to static implant placement.

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Automatic assignment of surgical instruments in a robotic surgery system to simplify setup and reduce errors compared to manual assignment. The system has movable carts with robotic arms and cameras, and a console with graphical representations. The cart orientation and camera angle are used to automatically assign each cart to a graphical representation on the console. This allows intuitive and consistent placement of instruments for the surgeon without manual cart assignment. The console can also move the representations to match physical movements.

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An augmented reality (AR) headset to guide medical staff in configuring and troubleshooting a robotically-assisted surgical system. The AR headset provides real-time spatial, system, and temporal contextual information of the robotic arms and other components of the surgical robotic system. It overlays 3D virtual models of the surgical system onto the user's view to match the actual positions. This helps guide setup and movement of the robotic arms. The AR headset also provides context-sensitive instructions for emergency situations and moving robotic arms away from the patient.

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Integrated system for robotically-assisted surgery that allows precise and collision-free motion of a robotic arm during imaging to avoid conflicts with the imaging device. The robotic arm moves an instrument to a predetermined position based on imaging data, while the imaging device moves without collisions. The system has a movable imaging device, robotic arm, and motion tracking camera. The camera tracks objects in the surgical area and the imaging device can rotate to cover a range of angles. The robotic arm extends into the imaging area between the source and detector. This allows simultaneous imaging and robotic surgery without collisions.

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Automated, patient-specific spinal surgery planning and assistance using AI and machine learning. The system involves a iterative virtuous cycle of imaging, case planning, implant production, case support, data collection, and predictive modeling. It uses AI to analyze preoperative images, transform the spinopelvic parameters to the frequency domain, filter out high frequency components, apply predictive models, and transform back to spatial domain to generate predicted postoperative outcomes. This assists in determining optimal implant positions, gestures, and compensation. Intraoperative tracking modules on implants compare to the predicted outcomes to provide real-time assistance.

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System for augmenting surgical site representations during robotic surgery to provide additional information to the surgeon. The system allows users to request and customize augmentations to the displayed representation of the surgical site. This can include things like identifying specific anatomical features, tracking their movements, showing blood flow, etc. The augmentations can be added dynamically during the surgery based on user inputs.

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A system for accurately aligning acetabular prosthetic components during hip replacement surgery. The system uses sensors on the prosthetic inserter and patient's bony anatomy to measure their orientations. A display module receives the sensor data and calculates the aligned prosthetic position relative to the patient's anatomy. If the alignment is within a threshold, it activates an indicator on the inserter to confirm proper placement. This helps prevent misalignment that can cause component loosening and dislocation.

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Automated system for assisting surgeons in spinal surgeries by accurately identifying optimal screw insertion points for pedicle screws in real-time during the surgery. The system uses pre-operative imaging to locate vertebrae and pedicles, identify characteristics, determine preferred insertion points, and measure pedicle dimensions. During surgery, the system analyzes live images to verify screw alignment and warn if deviations occur. This provides more accurate and consistent screw placement compared to free-hand techniques, reducing complications and improving outcomes.

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Monitoring surgical procedures based on pre-operatively generated surgical plans to confirm intra-operative implant positioning and provide real-time feedback during surgery. The system overlays intra-operative images onto pre-operative images to compare implant placement. It also provides positioning scores to help optimize implant positioning. The system can adapt the surgical plan based on intra-operative data to facilitate accurate implant placement. The goal is to minimize deviations from the planned implant positions to improve surgical outcomes.

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A surgical system that allows controlled removal of anatomy using a robotic tool with dynamic virtual boundaries. The system has a robotic arm with a tool attached. The system generates separate virtual boundaries for different portions of the anatomy. When the tool is moved autonomously, it adheres to the appropriate boundary and feed rate. This allows customized removal rates for different areas. The boundaries can have different shapes and oscillation frequencies. This allows tailored cutting for each region.

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Robotically-enabled minimally invasive lumbar fusion procedure using expandable interbody implants and pedicle-based intradiscal implants. The procedure involves placing the expandable interbody between vertebrae and intradiscal implants into the pedicles. The procedure is enhanced using imaging, navigation, and robotics for precise implant placement. The robotically-enabled workflow includes steps like pre-op planning, guide bar setup, tubular access, bi-portal implant insertion, discectomy, interbody deployment, fixation construction, and final verification.

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A system for robot-assisted surgery that uses optical tracking to accurately control robotic arms during surgeries. The system combines a robotic arm system for performing surgeries with an optical tracking system on a single coordinate system to achieve highly accurate performance. Markers on both the robotic arms and the patient are tracked using a camera in the surgery room. This allows the robotic arms to be accurately controlled relative to the patient's anatomy during surgeries.

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Tracking anatomical movement during robotic surgery using internal sensors in the robotic arms to detect forces and torques on the anatomy without external markers. This allows accurate tracking of anatomical motion during surgery when contact is made, compensating for errors and preventing damage. The internal sensors on one arm detect forces/torques on the anatomy from another arm, enabling self-correcting tool movement.

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Robotic catheters for minimally invasive medical procedures that can autonomously navigate through the body using vision-based techniques. The robotic catheter has a distal end with an imaging device that captures images of the body. An onboard processor analyzes the images to identify anatomical features, implanted devices, or medical instruments. It then estimates the catheter's location based on the identified objects. The processor uses this information to steer the catheter autonomously towards the intervention site. The imaging device has a surface that displaces bodily fluid to maintain contact during navigation. This allows the catheter to follow tissue walls like a thigmotactic animal. The robotic catheter can also monitor forces and distances to adjust steering. The autonomous navigation capability frees the clinician to focus on intervention steps.

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Intelligent laparoscopic energy device that selects optimal cutting and cauterizing modes based on real-time video analysis during surgery. The device collaborates with the laparoscope to recognize characteristics of the tissue being cut and automatically chooses the appropriate mode. This reduces the burden on surgeons to manually select the right mode for different tissue types. The device has pre-set modes for vessels of varying diameter and artery vs. vein. The video analysis determines the tissue characteristics and selects the optimal mode. The device can also provide warnings if metal instruments get too close to prevent damage.

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Automated system to assist in placing spinal pedicle screws for surgeries. The system uses image processing to identify vertebrae and pedicles, measure dimensions, and calculate optimal screw insertion points based on medical definitions. This provides a guided placement alternative to freehand techniques that relies on surgeon experience and anatomy. It aims to improve accuracy, reduce radiation exposure compared to fluoroscopy, and potentially enable robot-assisted pedicle screw placement.

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