An implantable growing rod assembly adapted to be secured along a length of a spine for treating deformities of the spine. The assembly includes a housing, a fixed rod extending along a longitudinal axis away from the housing, and an expansion rod extendible from the housing along the longitudinal axis. A driver assembly is fixed to the housing and adapted to translate the expansion rod along the longitudinal axis. Examples of the implantable growing rod assembly include a smart growing system, and an autonomous growing rod system.

Various surgical systems are disclosed. A surgical system comprises a robotic tool, a robot control system, a surgical instrument, and a surgical hub. The robot control system comprises a control console and a control unit in signal communication with the control console and the robotic tool. The surgical hub comprises a display. The surgical hub is in signal communication with the robot control system. The surgical hub is configured to detect the surgical instrument and represent the surgical instrument on the display.

Various aspects of a generator, ultrasonic device, and method for estimating a state of an end effector of an ultrasonic device are disclosed. The ultrasonic device includes an electromechanical ultrasonic system defined by a predetermined resonant frequency, including an ultrasonic transducer coupled to an ultrasonic blade. A control circuit measures a complex impedance of an ultrasonic transducer, wherein the complex impedance is defined as $Z_g\left(t\right)=\frac{V_g\left(t\right)}{I_g\left(t\right)}.$
The control circuit receives a complex impedance measurement data point and compares the complex impedance measurement data point to a data point in a reference complex impedance characteristic pattern. The control circuit then classifies the complex impedance measurement data point based on a result of the comparison analysis and assigns a state or condition of the end effector based on the result of the comparison analysis.

The disclosed embodiments relate to systems and methods for a surgical tool or a surgical robotic system. One example system for detecting a hardstop for a surgical tool includes a wrist connected to and driven by a plurality of cables of a tool driver, a plurality of sensors configured to detect forces associated with the plurality of cables one or more processors configured to perform a comparison of the forces associated with the plurality of cables, selected a highest tension cable from the plurality of cables based on the comparison of the forces associated with the plurality of cables, set a force assigned to the highest tension cable to a predetermined value, calculate a variable torque threshold for the wrist based on a sum of the predetermined value for the highest tension cable and detected forces for remaining cables in the plurality of cables, receive a joint torque value for the wrist, perform a comparison of the received joint torque value for the wrist to a variable wrist torque threshold and identify a hardstop based on the comparison of the received joint torque value for the wrist to the variable wrist torque threshold.

A control apparatus for a continuum robot including a curved portion that is curved by driving a wire with a driving mechanism includes an image DB/torsional-amount acquisition unit that obtains the torsional amount of the continuum robot and a kinematic operation unit that sets the driving displacement amount of the wire driven by the driving mechanism on the basis of the torsional amount obtained by the image DB/torsional-amount acquisition unit.

Tool assemblies, system, and methods for manipulating tissue and methods for performing a surgical procedure on a vertebral body adjacent soft tissue. A manipulator moves an end effector, and a screw is coupled to the end effector. A sleeve is disposed coaxially around the screw, and the screw and the sleeve are releasably engaged to one another. A navigation system is configured to track the vertebral body, and one or more controllers control the end effector to advance the screw relative to the sleeve along an insertion trajectory defined with respect to a surgical plan. The screw disengages the sleeve during advancement, and the screw is secured to the vertebral body. A distal working portion of the screw may be freely slidable through a distal end of the sleeve when disengaged. The screw may be a tap marker removably couplable with a tracking device of the navigation system.

New and innovative systems and methods for calibrating and correcting sensors associated with a collaborative robot are disclosed. An example system comprises: at least one robotic arm; a sensor affixed to a location on the robotic arm, wherein the sensor measures force and torque across six degrees of freedom (6DOF); a processor; and memory. The system may receive, from the sensor, sensor input in real-time that indicate a measured force or torque. The system may generate, in real-time, sensor corrections that correspond to offset, linear, and non-linear deviations of the measured force in each sensor axis. The sensor corrections may correspond to offset, linear, and non-linear cross-coupling of the measured force between two or more sensor axes. The sensor corrections may be determined by applying offset, linear, and non nonlinear corrections to each degree of freedom (DOF) from every other DOF.

A surgical instrument is disclosed. The surgical instrument comprises an end effector comprising an ultrasonic blade and a clamp arm. The clamp arm is movable relative to the ultrasonic blade to transition the end effector between an open configuration and a closed configuration to clamp tissue between the ultrasonic blade and the clamp arm. The surgical instrument further comprises an ultrasonic transducer configured to generate an ultrasonic energy output and a waveguide configured to transmit the ultrasonic energy output to the ultrasonic blade. The surgical instrument further comprises a control circuit, configured to detect an immersion of the end effector in a liquid and compensate for heat flux lost due to the immersion of the end effector in the liquid.

A method of verifying torque measurements of a reaction torque transducer of an instrument drive unit includes a controller receiving a verification signal, generating an acceptable range of torques, receiving a torque signal, comparing the torque signal to the acceptable range of torques, and stopping a motor if the torque applied by the motor is outside of the acceptable range of torques. The verification signal is indicative of the current drawn by the motor and the torque signal is indicative of torque applied by the motor.

Embodiments of the technology disclosed herein is directed to a medical manipulator capable of detecting an instant when a tip of the medical manipulator is unexpectedly separated from a body tissue and thus avoid making contact with surrounding body tissues. The technology disclosed eliminates the needs for providing a force sensor located on the tip of the medical manipulator. The medical manipulator includes a movable unit at one end and an electric motor, a control unit, and an operation input unit at opposed end thereof. The movable unit includes a treating unit for treating the body tissue. The electric motor is configured to operate the movable unit. The electric motor includes a current sensor or a torque detecting unit for detecting the torque of the motor. The control unit includes a torque reducing unit for reducing the torque transmitted to the movable unit from the electric motor.