A surgical device including a handle assembly, an elongated portion, an end effector, a drive shaft, and a wick is disclosed. The wick is disposed within an outer sleeve of the elongated portion and is made from a fibrous material. The wick is configured to transfer moisture from a first portion of the wick to a second portion of the wick.

A robotic medical system can include a patient platform. The patient platform includes a tilt mechanism. The tilt mechanism can include a lateral tilt mechanism and a longitudinal tilt mechanism. The lateral tilt mechanism can include a tilt plate and a pivot housing. A linear actuator mounted on the tilt plate can apply a linear force to the pivot housing. The lateral tilt mechanism can also include a first linear guide that extends along a first axis, and the pivot housing can translate along the first linear guide. Application of the linear force to the pivot housing tilts the tilt plate by causing the pivot housing to translate along the first linear guide.

A medical robotic system includes an entry guide with surgical tools and a camera extending out of its distal end. To supplement the view provided by an image captured by the camera, an auxiliary view including articulatable arms of the surgical tools and/or camera is generated from sensed or otherwise determined information about their positions and orientations are displayed along with indications of range of motion limitations on a display screen from the perspective of a specified viewing point.

A surgical end effector may comprise first and second jaw members. The second jaw member may comprise an offset proximal supply electrode that is positioned to contact an opposing member of the first jaw member when the first and second jaw members are in the closed position. The second jaw member may also comprise a distal supply electrode that is positioned distal of the offset proximal electrode and is aligned with a conductive surface of the first jaw member when the first and second jaw members are in the closed position. When the first and second jaw members are in the closed position, the proximal supply electrode may be in contact with the opposing member and the distal supply electrode is not in contact with the conductive surface of the first jaw member.

A medical system comprising: a robotic arm, a control unit configured to issue a control signal, a medical device intended to penetrate an anatomical structure, the medical device being configured to emit a warning signal which varies as a function of a variable electrical characteristic of the anatomical structure, said medical device comprising a body with first and second electrodes, an electric generator suitable for applying at least one measurement electric current between the first and second electrodes, and a processing device suitable for determining a measurement parameter related to the electrical characteristic, based on said at least one measurement electric current, and for emitting the warning signal corresponding to the measurement parameter, wherein the control unit is configured to issue the control signal as a function of the warning signal.

Disclosed herein are gear shifters to reverse an output shaft rotation and a method for using the same. A gear shifter in accordance with the present invention may include a housing, an input shaft, an output shaft and an idler shaft. The input shaft may have input gears, the output shaft may have output gears and the idler shaft may have idler gears. The output shaft may be slidably coupled with the input shaft and the idler shaft to rotate in a first direction in a first position and in a second opposite direction in a second position. A method of reversing an output shaft direction using a gear shifter may include the steps of pushing the gear shifter in a first direction to rotate the output shaft in a first direction and pushing the gear shifter in a second direction to rotate the output shaft in a second direction.

The present invention relates to a visualization system disposed in a human body, including, a nanobot configured to be disposed within the human body, the nanobot having at least one embedded biosensor, the biosensor which operates in real-time to continuously obtain data from within the human body; a visualization device configured to be integrated and/or embedded within the nanobot to provide real-time visualization data in the human body; a transmitter/receiver disposed on the nanobot which transmits data from the nanobot to an external transmitter/receiver, the transmitted data including the data from the biosensor and the data from the visualization device; and a processor configured to receive the data from the external transmitter/receiver of the nanobot and analyze the visualization data to determine the anatomic localization of the nanobot at a specific anatomic position within the human body.

Apparatus and methods are described including acquiring 3D image data of a targeted vertebra. A processor indicates the targeted vertebra within the 3D image data. A radiopaque element is positioned on the body of the subject with respect to the spine and a radiographic image is acquired. The processor (a) generates a plurality of 2D projections of the targeted vertebra from the 3D image data, (b) for each vertebra that is visible in the radiographic image, identifies if there exists a 2D projection of the targeted vertebra that matches the radiographic image of the vertebra that is visible, and (c) in response, indicates on the 2D radiographic image the vertebra for which a match with a projection of the targeted vertebra was identified, such that a location of the targeted vertebra is identified with respect to the radiopaque element. Other applications are also described.

A system for treating target tissue located at a first location along an anatomic lumen comprises a catheter including a distal end portion configured for deployment in the anatomic lumen. The system also comprises an expansion device coupled to the distal end portion of the catheter. The expansion device has an expanded size in a deployed configuration. The expansion device in the deployed configuration occludes the anatomic lumen at a second location, different from the first location, along the anatomic lumen. The expansion device also occludes at least one of a plurality of blood vessels adjacent the anatomic lumen to reduce blood flow to the target tissue at the first location.

A method comprising capturing a pose of a surgical tool at a surgical site of a patient. The method includes determining a range of movement of the surgical tool at the surgical site, in response to the captured pose. The method includes displaying a representation of the determined range of movement onto an image associated with the surgical site. The method includes providing one or more instructions to limit a movement of a robotic device according to the determined range of movement.