Apparatus and methods are described for imaging a portion of a body of a subject that undergoes motion. A plurality of image frames of the portion are acquired. A stream of image frames is generated in which a vicinity of a given feature of the image frames is enhanced, by (a) automatically identifying the given feature in each of the image frames, (b) aligning the given feature in two or more of the image frames, (c) averaging sets of two or more of the aligned frames to generate a plurality of averaged image frames, and (d) displaying as a stream of image frames the plurality of averaged image frames. Other embodiments are also described.

Provided herein is an adaptor for modifying the operation of a surgical bone-tool, comprising: a housing having a distal end and a proximal end coupled between a chuck and an operating bit of said tool, such that force generated by a motor of the tool is delivered to the operating bit through the adaptor; a clutch, contained in the housing, having an engaged and a disengaged configurations, respectively interconnecting and disconnecting the chuck to the operating bit; the clutch automatically disengages in response to an electric current, causing a cutoff of the force delivery; wherein the housing comprises a proximal fastener, sized and shaped to connect with the operating bit and a distal fastener, sized and shaped to connect with the chuck.

A system for verifying a tool for use in a surgical procedure includes a mechanical interface configured to be affixed to a portion of a patient's anatomy, wherein the mechanical interface comprises at least a first portion having a first diameter and a second portion having a second diameter. The system further includes a probe configured to be inserted into the mechanical interface to establish a checkpoint location, and a computing system configured to determine a location of a portion of the probe when the probe is inserted a maximum distance into the mechanical interface, wherein the location of the portion of the probe establishes the checkpoint location. The computing system is further configured to verify a surgical tool by comparing the checkpoint location to a location of a portion of the surgical tool when the surgical tool is inserted a maximum distance into the mechanical interface.

Methods of removing tissue from a patient during a surgical procedure, such as for preparing a spine of a patient to receive an implant during a fusion procedure. A working portion of an instrument is moved with actuators relative to a hand-held portion in at least three degrees of freedom including pivoting in pitch and yaw about a pivot. The working portion is translated while the hand-held portion is manually grasped and moved during the surgical procedure. The working portion is rotated with a drive mechanism to remove a volume of the tissue of the patient with a cutting accessory of the working portion. The actuators may move the working portion to substantially maintain the cutting accessory in a desired relationship to a virtual boundary defining the volume of the tissue to be removed. A position of the cutting accessory relative to the virtual boundary may be determined and tracked.

The invention relates to a surgical system and, more particularly, to a surgical system and method for verifying calibration of a surgical device. The surgical system or method can be configured to perform the steps of: identifying an interface on an anatomy of a patient, determining a position of a checkpoint of the interface in a coordinate frame of reference, contacting the interface with a portion of a surgical tool of the surgical device, determining a position of the portion of the surgical tool in the coordinate frame of reference, and determining whether the position of the portion of the surgical tool has an expected correspondence to the position of the checkpoint. The interface may comprise a painted portion of a bone of the patient, a divot made in the bone, or a mechanical interface that includes a portion configured to be affixed to the bone and an interface portion that is configured to be contacted by the portion of the surgical tool.

A robotic surgical system incorporating a surgical robot attached to a patient's bone by an attachment member, such that motion of the bone induces corresponding motion of the robot, maintaining the robot/bone positional relationship. The robot is supported on a mechanical mounting member attached through a controlled joint to a bed-mounted base element. The controlled joint can alternatively enable the mechanical mounting member to move freely relative to the base element, or its position can be controlled by signal inputs adapted to prevent excessive force being applied in the system. Two modes of operation are available (i) free motion in which the control system is decoupled from the mounting member, which rides freely with patient bone motion, and (ii) servo-controlled motion, in which drive mechanisms control the joint motion to prevent application of excessive force on the patient bone or attachment member.

The robotic device for positioning a surgical instrument relative to the body of a patient includes a first robotic arm with a device for rigidly connecting to at least one surgical instrument, a device for anatomical realignment of the first arm by realigning an image that is of an area of the anatomy of the patient, and a device for compensating the movements of the first arm on the basis of detected movements. One version of the device includes at least one second robotic arm having sensors for detecting inner movements of the anatomical area, and a device for controlling the positioning of the first arm relative to sensed inner movements and to the outer movements induced in the second arm.

An instrument for treating tissue during a medical procedure includes a hand-held portion and a working portion. The hand-held portion is manually supported and moved by a user and the working portion is movably coupled to the hand-held portion. A tracking device is attached to the hand-held portion for tracking the instrument. The tracking device is in communication with a control system, which is used to keep the working portion within or outside of a boundary. A plurality of actuators are operatively coupled to the working portion. The control system instructs the actuators to move the working portion relative to the hand-held portion during the medical procedure in order to maintain a desired relationship between the working portion and the boundary.

An instrument for treating tissue during a medical procedure includes a hand-held portion and a working portion. The hand-held portion is manually supported and moved by a user and the working portion is movably coupled to the hand-held portion. A tracking device is attached to the hand-held portion for tracking the instrument. The tracking device is in communication with a control system, which is used to keep the working portion within or outside of a boundary. A plurality of actuators are operatively coupled to the working portion. The control system instructs the actuators to move the working portion relative to the hand-held portion during the medical procedure in order to maintain a desired relationship between the working portion and the boundary.

A medical-robotic device that has a kinematic chain of movable components with an end effector at one end, with at least one force or torque sensor for the detection of at least one force or torque value on the kinematic chain. A control processor that controls the kinematic chain. An additional mechanical component is attached directly to the end effector or one of the movable components so that the additional component can transmit a force external to the device or a torque external to the device to the end effector or the movable component. The control processor determines the force external to the device or the torque external to the device on the basis of the at least one force or torque value detected, and controls the kinematic chain in dependence on the determined force external to the device or the determined torque external to the device, in order to increase the accuracy of the medical-robotic device.