An example method for detecting stability of a medical implant is provided. The method includes (a) applying a force to the medical implant with a probe, (b) based on the applied force, determining a response signal associated with a vibration of the medical implant, (c) comparing the determined response signal with a computer model of the medical implant, and (d) based on the comparison, determining an angular stiffness coefficient of the medical implant, wherein the angular stiffness coefficient indicates a stability of the medical implant.

Various torque-limiting surgical driver devices, systems, and methods are disclosed. The surgical driver can include a body, a motor that is configured to rotate a drill bit engaged with the surgical driver, and a processor configured to control operation of the surgical driver. The surgical driver can have torque-limiting functionality, such as by monitoring the amount of torque applied to a drill bit and reducing or stopping rotation of the drill bit when certain torque-limiting criteria are met.

A system and computerized method for detection of engagement of a surgical tool to a tool drive of a robotic arm of a surgical robotic system. The method may include activating an actuator of the tool drive to rotate a drive disk to be mechanically engaged with a tool disk in the surgical tool. One or more motor operating parameters of the actuator that is causing the rotation of the drive disk are monitored while activating the actuator. The method detects when the drive disk becomes mechanically engaged with the tool disk, based on the one or more monitored motor operating parameters. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

A portable and passive safety intraosseous device to allow for direct introduction of medications, etc., within the intermedullary space of a subject patient's bone or, if needed, the removal of certain substances from such a subject patient's bone. Such a device permits direct drilling and placement of a cannula within the subject bone with access external to the subject patient's skin, permitting, as well, connection of a tube for such introduction/removal purposes. The ability to provide a passive safety unit allows for facilitated utilization in, for instance, emergency situations with the entire device provided for utilization thereof. The device includes a drilling component with a permanently attached stylet and a removable cannula, a power supply for a single drilling operation, a mechanism to draw the stylet back into the drill component after use and disengagement from the cannula, and an automatic closure that activates with the separation of the cannula.

A portable and passive safety intraosseous device to allow for direct introduction of medications, etc., within the intermedullary space of a subject patient's bone or, if needed, the removal of certain substances from such a subject patient's bone. Such a device permits direct drilling and placement of a cannula within the subject bone with access external to the subject patient's skin, permitting, as well, connection of a tube for such introduction/removal purposes. The ability to provide a passive safety unit allows for facilitated utilization in, for instance, emergency situations with the entire device provided for utilization thereof. The device includes a drilling component with a permanently attached stylet and a removable cannula, a power supply for a single drilling operation, a mechanism to draw the stylet back into the drill component after use and disengagement from the cannula, and an automatic closure that activates with the separation of the cannula.

There is provided a robot arm apparatus including an arm unit made up of a plurality of links joined to each other by one or a plurality of a joint unit, the arm unit being connectable to an imaging unit; and a drive control unit that controls driving of the arm unit by causing each joint unit to be driven cooperatively. The drive control unit uses relative position information of a reference position with respect to the arm unit, the relative position information being based on a state of the arm unit and distance information about a distance between the imaging unit and the reference position, to control the driving of the arm unit in a manner that the reference position is positioned on an optical axis of the imaging unit.

Various sensor assemblies are described herein that can measure axial and lateral forces and/or axial and lateral torques acting on an instrument independent of steady state temperature variations. In one embodiment, the sensor assembly has a sensor body for coupling to the instrument such that a shaft and tip of the instrument extend from opposing ends of the sensor body. The sensor body has first and second strain sensing regions. The sensor assembly further includes first and second strain sensors coupled to and configured to measure axial strain of the first and second regions, respectively. During use, when the sensor body is coupled to the instrument, each of the first and second regions experience an opposite one of a tensile axial strain and a compressive axial strain in response to an axial force or an axial torque acting on the tip of the instrument.

Various torque-limiting screwdriver devices, systems, and methods are disclosed. The screwdriver can include a body, a motor that is configured to rotate a screw engaged with the screwdriver, and a processor configured to control operation of the screwdriver. The screwdriver can have torque-limiting functionality, such as by monitoring the amount of torque applied to the screw and reducing or stopping rotation of the screw when certain torque-limiting criteria are met. In some embodiments, the screwdriver can be switched between manual operation by a user, and automated operation by a motor within the screwdriver. In some embodiments, the screwdriver can be attached to a robotic arm.

Disclosed herein are surgical tool systems and methods of using such to install a fixator in a biological tissue. The systems are capable of accurately measuring torque and rotational velocity and providing real time feedback to a user during surgery.

Certain aspects relate to systems and techniques for surgical robotic arm admittance control. In one aspect, there is provided a system including a robotic arm and a processor. The processor may be configured to determine a force at a reference point on the robotic arm based on an output of a torque sensor and receive an indication of a direction of movement of the reference point. The processor may also determine that a component of the force is in the same direction as the direction of movement of the reference point, generate at least one parameter indicative of a target resistance to movement of the robotic arm, and control the motor, based on the at least one parameter, to move the robotic arm in accordance with the target resistance.