Systems and methods for robotic collision avoidance using medical imaging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12295683-B2
Application number	US-202217590891-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2022
Priority date	Feb 2, 2022
Publication date	May 13, 2025
Grant date	May 13, 2025

Abstract

Systems and methods according to embodiments of the present disclosure include: receiving registration data including information about a location of an anatomical element in a surgical environment; defining, based on the registration data, a three-dimensional (3D) volume in the surgical environment including the anatomical element; and controlling a robotic arm inside the surgical environment based on the defined 3D volume such that at least the robotic arm or one or more components attached to the robotic arm avoids passing through the defined 3D volume during a movement of the robotic arm.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving first registration data including information about a location of a first anatomical element in a surgical environment;
receiving second registration data including information about a location of a second anatomical element in the surgical environment;
defining, based on the location of the first anatomical element, a first three-dimensional (3D) volume in the surgical environment including a first portion of the first anatomical element;
defining, based on the location of the second anatomical element, a second 3D volume different from the first 3D volume in the surgical environment, wherein the second 3D volume comprises a second portion of the first anatomical element different than the first portion of the first anatomical element, and wherein the second 3D volume comprises an entirety of the second anatomical element; and
controlling a robotic arm inside the surgical environment based on the first 3D volume and the second 3D volume such that at least one of the robotic arm and one or more components attached to the robotic arm avoids passing through the first 3D volume during a movement of the robotic arm.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first registration data includes information from one or more of a Computed Tomography (CT) image, a Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI), and a fluoroscopic image.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
registering the first 3D volume to the robotic arm;
defining, based on the location of the second anatomical element and a location of the second 3D volume, a first 3D sub-volume within the second 3D volume; and
controlling the robotic arm based on the first 3D sub-volume such that at least one of the robotic arm and the one or more components attached to the robotic arm passes through the second 3D volume and avoids passing through the first 3D sub-volume.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first anatomical element comprises at least one of a vertebra, a hard tissue, a soft tissue, an artery, and a nerve, and wherein the second 3D volume is positioned a first distance away from the first 3D volume.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
controlling a second robotic arm based on the first 3D volume, wherein at least one of the second robotic arm and components attached to the second robotic arm passes through the first 3D volume.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
determining, based on the first 3D volume, a first navigation path of the robotic arm; and
determining, based on at least one of the first 3D volume and the first navigation path, a second navigation path of the second robotic arm.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the controlling of the second robotic arm further comprises:
restricting, when the second robotic arm passes through the first 3D volume, the movement of the robotic arm.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more components of the robotic arm comprises at least one of a surgical drill, a surgical saw, a surgical scalpel, a surgical reamer, a surgical tap, an ultrasonic blade, a surgical burr, a surgical screw, and an interbody element.

9. A system, comprising:
a processor; and
a memory storing data thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
receive first registration data including information about a location of a first anatomical element in a surgical environment;
receive second registration data including information about a location of a second anatomical element in the surgical environment;
define, based on the location of the first anatomical element, a first three-dimensional (3D) volume in the surgical environment comprising a first portion of the first anatomical element;
define, based on the location of the second anatomical element, a second 3D volume different from the first 3D volume in the surgical environment and comprising a second portion of the first anatomical element different than the first portion of the first anatomical element, wherein the second 3D volume encompasses an entirety of the second anatomical element; and
control a robotic arm inside the surgical environment based on the first 3D volume and the second 3D volume such that at least one of the robotic arm and one or more components attached to the robotic arm avoids passing through the first 3D volume during a movement of the robotic arm.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first 3D volume at least partially overlaps the second 3D volume.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the data further cause the processor to:
define, based on the location of the second anatomical element and a location of the second 3D volume, a first 3D sub-volume encompassed by the second 3D volume, wherein the robotic arm is controlled to pass through the second 3D volume, and wherein robotic arm is controlled to avoid passing through the first 3D sub-volume.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the robotic arm comprises an end effector, and wherein the end effector is controlled to pass through a third 3D volume that abuts at least one of the first 3D volume and the second 3D volume.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first 3D volume and the second 3D volume are mutually exclusive.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein an end effector of the robotic arm is mechanically coupled to a first surgical tool, and wherein the first surgical tool comprises a drill, a reamer, a scalpel, a saw, a tap, an ultrasonic blade, a surgical burr, a surgical screw, or an interbody element.

15. The system of claim 9 , wherein the data further cause the processor to:
define a third 3D volume that abuts at least one of the first 3D volume and the second 3D volume; and
control the movement of the robotic arm based on the third 3D volume.

16. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first registration data includes information from one or more of a Computed Tomography (CT) image, a Magnetic Resonance Image (MRI), and a fluoroscopic image.

17. An apparatus, comprising:
a robotic arm that includes an end effector;
a processor; and
a memory storing data thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
receive first registration data including information about a location of a first anatomical element in a surgical environment;
receive second registration data including information about a location of a second anatomical element in the surgical environment;
define, based on the location of the first anatomical element, a first three-dimensional (3D) volume in a surgical environment comprising a first portion of the first anatomical element;
define, based on the location of the second anatomical element, a second 3D volume in the surgical environment that encompasses a second portion of the first anatomical element different than the first portion of the first anatomical element, wherein the second 3D volume encompasses an entirety of the second anatomical element; and
maneuver the robotic arm inside the surgical environment based on the first 3D volume and the second 3D volume such that at the end effector of the robotic arm avoids passing into the first 3D volume.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the data further cause the processor to:
receive one or more intraoperative images;
determine, based on the one or more intraoperative images, a second location of the first anatomical element in the surgical environment; and
change, based on the one or more intraoperative images, the first 3D volume to a third 3D volume.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , w

Assignees

• Mazor Robotics Ltd

Inventors

• Sandelson Adi
• Dori Nimrod

Classifications

• A61B34/32 Primary

  operating autonomously · CPC title

• A61B2034/105

  Modelling of the patient, e.g. for ligaments or bones · CPC title

• A61B34/10 Primary

  Computer-aided planning, simulation or modelling of surgical operations · CPC title