An expandable trial can include an inferior portion, a superior portion, and a middle expanding portion as well as load cells for monitoring the load on the trial. The trial may also include recesses on its lateral sides to provide spacing to accommodate a disc removal tool so tissue can be cleared monitoring load. In addition, neural foramen spacing can be monitoring to provide information about how much neural release has been achieved as the disc is cleaned and the spine is positioned and repositioned.

Devices, systems, and methods for detecting unexpected movement of a surgical instrument during a robot-assisted surgical procedure are provided. The surgical robot system may be configured to measure forces and torques experienced by the surgical instrument during the surgical procedure and determine if the forces and torques are within an acceptable range. The robot system is further configured to notify the user of the presence of the unexpected movement.

The present disclosure generally relates to the drilling control system and the drilling control method for surgical applications. The drilling control system may comprise a drilling device, a spatial sensor system and a control unit. The control unit may receive and store biomechanical information, mechanical information and spatial information to generate drilling information and control output, and calculate a discrepancy index according to the biomechanical information and the drilling information. The discrepancy index is calculated according to cross correlation of a slope of the biomechanical information and a slope of the drilling information. With the present disclosure, the accuracy and safety of drilling process is greatly improved.

A system and method of operating a minimally invasive cutting instrument includes a surgical cutting instrument. The surgical cutting instrument includes a drive unit, an end effector located at a distal end of the instrument, and a garage for housing the cutting blade when the cutting blade is not in use. The end effector includes gripping jaws and a cutting blade. To perform a cutting operation, the instrument extends the cutting blade from a first position to a second position, retracts the cutting blade from the second position to a third position between the first and second positions, and further retracts the cutting blade to the first position. While the cutting blade is not in use, the cutting blade is maintained in the first position using a restraining mechanism in the drive unit, force or torque applied by a motor or other active actuator to the drive unit, or both.

A method of engaging a medical instrument with a medical instrument manipulator comprises receiving an indication that a first input coupling of the medical instrument is positioned adjacent to a first drive output of the manipulator. The first drive output is driven by a first actuating element. In response to receiving the indication, the first drive output is rotated in a first rotational direction. A determination is made, by one or more processors, as to whether a resistance torque is experienced by the first actuating element after rotating the first drive output in the first rotational direction. If the resistance torque is not experienced by the first actuating element after rotating of the first drive output in the first rotational direction, the first drive output is rotated in a second rotational direction. A determination is made, by the one or more processors, as to whether a resistance torque is experienced by the first actuating element after rotating of the first drive output in the second rotational direction.

Electrosurgical systems comprising an electrosurgical network connecting a plurality of electrosurgical connection units (each connectable to an electrosurgical instrument) and an electrosurgical generator such that an electrosurgical signal generated by the electrosurgical generator can be controllably provided to a selected combination of electrosurgical connection units. Such electrosurgical systems allow an electrosurgical instrument attached to any of the plurality of electrosurgical connection units to be dynamically controlled by the electrosurgical generator.

The disclosed technology relates to robotic surgical systems for improving surgical procedures. In certain embodiments, the disclosed technology relates to robotic surgical systems for use in osteotomy procedures in which bone is cut to shorten, lengthen, or change alignment of a bone structure. The osteotome, an instrument for removing parts of the vertebra, is guided by the surgical instrument guide which is held by the robot. In certain embodiments, the robot moves only in the locked plane (one of the two which create the wedgei.e., the portion of the bone resected during the osteotomy). In certain embodiments, the robot shall prevent the osteotome (or other surgical instrument) from getting too deep/beyond the tip of the wedge. In certain embodiments, the robotic surgical system is integrated with neuromonitoring to prevent damage to the nervous system.

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 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.

A bone clamp for securing of a measurement aid to a bone comprises a first clip and a second clip and an adapter. The adapter comprises a pulling mechanism and a locking mechanism, whereby the position of the first clip relative to the second clip can be altered by actuation of the pulling mechanism, wherein the position of the first clip relative to the second clip can be fixed by actuation of the locking mechanism. The first clip and the second clip each have an inner face which is oriented in the direction of the bone, wherein the first clip has one or more spikes on the inner face and wherein the second clip has a sliding edge on the inner face.