A system and method of collision avoidance includes determining a position and an orientation, the position and the orientation being of a repositionable arm or of an instrument, the repositionable arm being configured to support the instrument; determining, based on the position and the orientation, a plurality of first virtual boundaries around the repositionable arm or the instrument; determining a second virtual boundary around an object; determining a first overlap force on the repositionable arm due to a first overlap between the second virtual boundary and a virtual boundary of the plurality of first virtual boundaries; determining a tip force on a distal end of the instrument based on the first overlap force; and applying the tip force as a first feedback force on the instrument or the repositionable arm.

A robotic surgical system for treating a patient comprises a first robotic arm configured to remotely control a surgical instrument that is positionable within a cavity of the patient; a second robotic arm configured to remotely control a device that is passable through an orifice of the patient; and a control circuit communicatively couplable to the first and second robotic arm. The first and second robotic are each attached to a surgical platform. The control circuit is configured to determine a position of the arms; cause each of the first and second robotic arm to change their respective position and orientation based on an adjustment of a platform position of the surgical platform; and control the first robotic arm and the second robotic arm to cooperatively interact to perform a surgical operation.

A dilator tool for use with a robotic surgical system is disclosed. In some embodiments, the dilator comprises a set of elongate members with an atraumatic form. The elongate members are individually controlled to manipulate tissue and push tissue away from a working channel. The operation to create a working channel may reduce the risk of tissue injury over traditional methods using a scalpel.

A method for characterizing a state of an end effector of an ultrasonic device is disclosed. The ultrasonic device including an electromechanical ultrasonic system defined by a predetermined resonant frequency. The electromechanical ultrasonic system further including an ultrasonic transducer coupled to an ultrasonic blade. The method including applying, by an energy source, a power level to the ultrasonic transducer, measuring, by a control circuit coupled to a memory, an impedance value of the ultrasonic transducer, comparing, by the control circuit, the impedance value to a reference impedance value stored in the memory; classifying, by the control circuit, the impedance value based on the comparison; characterizing, by the control circuit, the state of the electromechanical ultrasonic system based on the classification of the impedance value; and adjusting, by the control circuit, the power level applied to the ultrasonic transducer based on the characterization of the state of the end effector.

A computer-assisted surgery system allows a user to control movements of a surgical tool by providing, to a control unit, inputs in the form of measured displacements via a movable part of a handle while treating a region of interest with the tool. The control unit is configured to enable motion of the tool with respect to an anatomical structure only if a user moves the movable part, receive the measured displacement of the movable part, receive from a localization unit the relative position and orientation of the tool relative to the anatomical structure, based on the measured displacement, on the surgical plan and on the relative position and orientation of the tool relative to the anatomical structure, compute an instruction to send to a motorized joint to move a robotic arm to operate the tool according to an optimal trajectory, and send the computed instruction to the motorized joint.

A robotic imaging system includes a camera configured to one or more images of a target site. The camera may be a stereoscopic camera configured to record a left image and a right image for producing at least one stereoscopic image of the target site. A robotic arm is operatively connected to the camera, the robotic arm being adapted to selectively move the camera relative to the target site. A sensor is configured to detect forces and/or torque imparted by a user for moving the stereoscopic camera and transmit sensor data. A controller is configured to receive the sensor data, the controller having a processor and tangible, non-transitory memory on which instructions are recorded. The controller is adapted to selectively execute an assisted drive mode, which includes determining a movement sequence for the robotic arm based in part on the sensor data and a damping function.

A robotic surgical instrument includes a housing having a shaft extending therefrom configured to receive a first end effector including jaw members moveable between a fully open position wherein the jaw members are spaced a maximum distance relative to one another and a closed position wherein a closure pressure between the jaw members is within a predetermined range. A drive rod actuates the first end effector upon translation thereof. The housing includes a spring compression assembly having proximal and distal hubs with the compression spring disposed therebetween. A jaw drive input rotates a drive gear to translate the distal hub relative to the proximal hub to compress the compression spring and actuate the end effector. Once the jaw members are fully open, the jaw drive input rotates a preset number of degrees to compress the compression spring and approximate the jaw members to a closure pressure within the predetermined range.

A system for drilling a bore in a bone (7) and measuring a depth of the bore during surgery, said system comprising: a drill (5) comprising a drill chuck (6) for holding a drill bit; a drill bit (3) mounted in the drill chuck; at least one sensor (11,12) arranged to produce signals for determining the depth of the bore, preferably comprising a strain gauge (11) arranged to produce a signal representing a force exerted on the system during drilling, and a distance sensor (12) arranged to produce a signal representing a distance between a reference point on the system and the bone surface during drilling; first communication means (19) arranged to communicate said signals to electronic processing means; electronic processing means (16) arranged to receive said signals from said first communication means and to determine a depth of a bore from said signals; second communication means (13a) arranged to communicate said determined depth to output means; output means (2) for outputting information about the determined depth of the bore received from said second communication means; wherein said drill bit is part of a rotatable drill bit unit (1), which may or may not comprise said drill chuck; and said at least one sensor and one of said first and second communication means are mounted in the drill bit unit.

A robotic surgical system includes a first automated surgical system with a first user control console; a first robotic actuator; and a first surgical system controller comprising a first processor and a first memory component configured to store a first set of processor instructions and a first set of processor data. The robotic surgical system further includes a first surgical system communication interface; and a second automated surgical system that has a second user control console; a second robotic actuator; a second surgical system controller comprising a second processor and a second memory component configured to store a second set of processor instructions and a second set of processor data; and a second surgical system communication interface in data communication with the first surgical system communication interface. The second automated surgical system is controllable through the first user control console.

Described herein is an apparatus for guiding an elongated flexible instrument, the apparatus comprising a variable-length support assembly adapted to maintain a length of the elongated flexible instrument in a fixed configuration relative to the variable-length support assembly as the variable-length support assembly is moved along a longitudinal axis. The variable-length support assembly includes a plurality of linkages connected in series along the longitudinal axis, and the variable-length support assembly has a compact configuration and an expanded configuration.