A method of operating a surgical device having a surgical tool includes allowing manual movement of the surgical tool along at least one direction, controlling the surgical device to align the surgical tool with a target using a control object having a planned geometric relationship with an anatomic feature, tracking movement of the anatomic feature during a surgical procedure, moving the control object to compensate for the movement of the anatomic feature during the surgical procedure, and controlling the surgical device to realign the surgical tool with the target using the moved control object.

A method of compensating for motion of objects during a surgical procedure is provided. The method includes determining a pose of an anatomy of a patient; determining a pose of a surgical tool of a surgical device; defining a relationship between the pose of the anatomy and a position, an orientation, a velocity, and/or an acceleration of the surgical tool; associating the pose of the anatomy, the pose of the surgical tool, and the relationship; and updating the association in response to a motion of the anatomy and/or a motion of the surgical tool without interrupting operation of the surgical device during the surgical procedure.

Devices and methods are provide for facilitating registration and calibration of surface imaging systems. Tracking marker support structures are described that include one or more fiducial reference markers, where the tracking marker support structures are configured to be removably and securely attached to a skeletal region of a patient. Methods are provided in which a tracking marker support structure is attached to a skeletal region in a pre-selected orientation, thereby establishing an intraoperative reference direction associated with the intraoperative position of the patient, which is employed for guiding the initial registration between intraoperatively acquired surface data and volumetric image data. In other example embodiments, the tracking marker support structure may be employed for assessing the validity of a calibration transformation between a tracking system and a surface imaging system. Example methods are also provided to detect whether or not a tracking marker support structure has moved from its initial position during a procedure.

Methods and systems for detecting, monitoring, and accounting for anatomical motion is provided. An initial contact between a first robotic arm and an anatomical element of a patient may be detected based on information received from at least one internal sensor of the first robotic arm. A position of the anatomical element may be determined based on the information. The determined position may be compared to an expected position of the anatomical element. A tool trajectory of a second robotic arm may be updated when the determined position is offset from the expected position.

Described herein are systems, apparatus, and methods for precise placement and guidance of tools during surgery, particularly spinal surgery, using minimally invasive surgical techniques. Several minimally invasive approaches to spinal surgeries were conceived, percutaneous technique being one of them. This procedures looks to establish a skin opening as small as possible by accessing inner organs via needle-puncture of the skin. The percutaneous technique is used in conjunction with a robotic surgical system to further enhance advantages of manual percutaneous techniques by improving precision, usability and/or shortening surgery time by removal of redundant steps.

A robotic surgical system is provided. An illustrative robotic surgical system includes a base having a known position relative to an operating table; an end effector configured to hold and align a surgical tool for performing a procedure on a subject on said operating table; at least one robotic arm connecting said base with said end effector; and a target attached to the end effector, wherein an image of the target attached to the end effector is used to determine a pose of the end effector.

A computer-implemented method is for creation of a control signal with regard to controlling a movement of a medical object, the creation of the control signal being dependent on a current movement state of an examination object. In an embodiment, the method includes receiving, via a processor, a movement model of at least one part of the examination object, the movement model including at least one target movement state; detecting, via a sensor, a current movement state of the examination object; comparing, via the processor, whether the current movement state at least approximately corresponds to the at least one target movement state; determining, via the processor, the control signal as a function of the movement model and of the current movement state, depending on a result of the comparing; and provisioning the control signal.

A surgical robot system whose robotic arm is divided into two parts, and is connected to the patient at the junction of the two parts, by means of a bone connector. The section between the bone connector and the robotic base has a predetermined level of flexibility, enabling the bone connector limited movement. Consequently, the patient's body can also move without the bone connector exerting excess forces on the patient, and without detachment from the patient. The arm section between the bone connection link and the end actuator has high rigidity, such that the pose of the end actuator relative to the patient is accurately maintained. As the patient undergoes small movements, such as in breathing or coughing, the bone connector and base connection arm section, move together with motion of the patient's bone, while the pose of the end actuator relative to the patient is accurately maintained.

A surgical system includes a first tracker configured to be affixed to a first object, a detection device configured to determine a change in position of the first tracker, and circuitry communicable with the detection device. The circuitry is configured to compare the change in the position of the first tracker to a condition and generate a fault signal in response to a determination that the change in the position of the first tracker violates the condition.

Embodiments of the present invention set forth a method to update an operation pathway for a robotic arm assembly in response to a movement of a patient. The method includes processing a two-dimensional image associated with a tag having a spatial relationship with the patient. A corresponding movement of the tag in response to the movement of the patient is determined based on the spatial relationship. The tag includes a first point and a second point and the two-dimensional image includes a first point image and a second point image. The method also includes associating the first point image with the first point and the second point image with the second point and updating the operation pathway based on a conversion matrix of the first point and the second point, and the first point image and the second point image.