Abstract: A method for re-registration between a robotic coordinate system and an image data set, said method comprising: providing an image data set that has been registered within a robotic coordinate system based upon an initial bone position within the robotic coordinate system; locating at least three conserved points fixed relative to the initial bone position prior to any detectable change in bone position from the initial bone position; relocating the same three conserved point after bone motion may have occurred to determine the locational change in the three conserved points; and re-register the image data set within the robotic coordinate system based on the locational changes.

Abstract: A method of tracking and compensating for bone motion when operating on bone (50) with surgical robotic arm (20), comprising: determining a spatial relationship between surgical robotic arm (20) and bone (50); tracking translational and rotational movements of bone (50) with a bone motion detector, which preferably comprises a passive mechanical arm (40); and updating the spatial relationship as bone (50) moves.

Abstract: A method for transforming a bone image data set representing at least a partial image of a long bone to a robotic coordinate system, comprising: generating the bone image data set from a bone image; registering a bone digitizer arm to the robotic coordinate system; generating a digitized bone data set by taking bone surface position measurements with the digitizer arm; and transforming the bone image data set into the robotic coordinate system by performing a best-fit calculation between coordinates of the bone image data set and corresponding coordinates of the digitized bone data set.

Abstract: A method for transforming the image of a long bone into a system coordinate space, such as robotic system coordinate space, comprises identifying in the image data set directional coordinates representing bone axis and at least one positional coordinate on the bone surface. Corresponding coordinates in the actual bone immobilized in the robotic or other system space are then determined by contacting a probe, such as a probe at the end of a manipulatable arm on a robot, to corresponding locations in the actual bone. The coordinates within the image data set are then registered with the actual coordinates within the immobilized bone to produce a transfer function that can be used to transform the image data set to the coordinate system space.

Abstract: A robotic surgical system (10) includes a multiple degree of freedom manipulator arm (14) having a surgical tool (22). The arm is coupled to a controller (24) for controllably positioning the surgical tool within a three dimensional coordinate system. The system further includes a safety monitoring processor (38) for determining the position of the surgical tool in the three dimensional coordinate system relative to a volumetric model. The volumetric model may be represented as a constructive solid geometry (CSG) tree data structure. The system further includes an optical tracking camera system (28,32) disposed for imaging a region of space that includes at least a portion of the manipulator arm. An output of the camera system is coupled to the processor (38) that processes the volumetric model for determining if the surgical tool is positioned outside of the volumetric model.

Abstract: A robotic surgical system includes a multiple degree of freedom manipulator arm having a surgical tool. The arm is coupled to a controller for controllably positioning the surgical tool within a three dimensional coordinate system. The system further includes a safety monitoring processor for determining the position of the surgical tool in the three dimensional coordinate system relative to a volumetric model. The volumetric model may be represented as a constructive solid geometry (CSG) tree data structure. The system further includes an optical tracking camera system disposed for imaging a region of space that includes at least a portion of the manipulator arm. An output of the camera system is coupled to the processor that processes the volumetric model for determining if the surgical tool is positioned outside of the volumetric model. The system further includes a strain gage for detecting slippage in three dimensions between an immobilized tissue, such as bone, and a reference point.

Abstract: A robotic surgical system (10) includes a multiple degree of freedom manipulator arm (14) having a surgical tool (22). The arm is coupled to a controller (24) for controllably positioning the surgical tool within a three dimensional coordinate system. The system further includes a safety monitoring processor (38) for determining the position of the surgical tool in the three dimensional coordinate system relative to a volumetric model. The volumetric model may be represented as a constructive solid geometry (CSG) tree data structure. The system further includes an optical tracking camera system (28, 32) disposed for imaging a region of space that includes at least a portion of the manipulator arm. An output of the camera system is coupled to the processor (38) that processes the volumetric model for determining if the surgical tool is positioned outside of the volumetric model.