Systems, methods, software and techniques for generating a milling path for a tool of a surgical system are provided. The milling path is designed to remove a resection volume associated with an anatomical volume. A reference guide is defined with respect to the resection volume. Sections are defined along the reference guide in succession. Each section intersects the reference guide at a different intersection point and is at a specified orientation relative to the reference guide at the intersection point. Each section further intersects the resection volume. A section path is generated to be bounded within each section and defined relative to the resection volume. A plurality of transition segments are generated and each transition segment connects section paths of successive sections along the reference guide.

A robotic surgical system comprises a surgical tool, a manipulator configured to support the surgical tool, a force/torque sensor to measure forces and torques applied to the surgical tool, and a control system. The control system obtains a three-dimensional milling path for the surgical tool. The control system also receives one or more signals from the force/torque sensor in response to a user manually applying user forces and torques to the surgical tool. The control system determines a commanded pose to which to command the manipulator to advance the surgical tool along the milling path based on a tangential component of the user forces and torques, based on a virtual simulation using virtual constraints, and/or based on other suitable factors to promote guided, manual movement of the surgical tool along the milling path.

An access device for accessing an intervertebral disc having an outer shield comprising an access shield with a larger diameter (˜16-30 mm) that reaches from the skin down to the facet line, with an inner shield having a second smaller diameter (˜5-12 mm) extending past the access shield and reaches down to the disc level. This combines the benefits of the direct visual microsurgical/mini open approaches and the percutaneous, “ultra-MIS” techniques.

A concentric tube steerable device includes a plurality of tubes having a nested, concentric configuration. The tubes include an outer tube and an inner tube that extends coaxially within the outer tube. The inner tube terminates at a tip, and a pose of the tip is effectuated through individual or collective rotation or translation of the tubes about a tube axis. The concentric tube steerable device includes an actuator for rotating at least one tube about a respective tube axis, and a translator for translating at least one tube along a respective tube axis. Each tube includes a precurved portion and a corresponding axis of precurvature. For at least one tube, a flexural rigidity of the tube along its axis of precurvature is less than a flexural rigidity of the tube along a second axis that is perpendicular to the axis of precurvature, thereby improving stability of the tube.

Apparatus and methods are described for performing a procedure using a robotic unit. A sterile drape is placed around a drape plate, such that the sterile drape forms an interface between a non-sterile zone and a sterile zone, such that the tool mount is disposed within the sterile zone, and one or more robotic arms and a tool motor are disposed within the non-sterile zone. The tool is driven to roll with respect to the end effector via at least one gear mechanism disposed within the sterile zone, and a motion-transmission portion configured to transmit motion from the tool motor to the at least one gear mechanism, while maintaining a seal between the sterile zone and the non-sterile zone. Other applications are also described.

An electrosurgical system comprising: a plurality of electrosurgical connection units, each electrosurgical connection unit comprising an input port connectable to an electrosurgical channel and an output port connectable to an electrosurgical instrument, the electrosurgical connection unit configured to connect the input port to the output port; an electrosurgical network comprising a plurality of electrosurgical links that connect the input ports of the electrosurgical connection units to an electrosurgical channel; and a control unit configured to: receive information from a device indicating that the device has detected an electrosurgical generator connected to the electrosurgical channel, the device being one of the electrosurgical connection units and an electrosurgical output device connected to the electrosurgical channel; determine a location of the electrosurgical generator in the electrosurgical network based on the received information; and transmit one or more control signals to the electrosurgical connection units and/or one or more electrosurgical output devices connected to the electrosurgical channel to cause the output port of a selected combination of electrosurgical connection units to be connected to the electrosurgical channel based on the determined location of the electrosurgical generator.

Apparatus, systems, and methods for detecting the presence of a metallic surgical instrument. A metal detector for detecting insertion of a metallic surgical device into a hollow tube may include a switch, resonant circuit and a controller. The resonant circuit has a capacitor and a coil mounted to the hollow tube. The controller turn on the switch for a preselected time to temporarily provide a current to the resonant circuit and analyzes a resulting decaying voltage waveform originating from the resonant circuit when the switch is turned off in order to determine the presence and longitudinal depth of the metallic surgical device in the hollow tube.

A surgical system and method of operating the same include a manipulator with a base, a robotic arm coupled to the base, and a saw tool coupled to the robotic arm to perform a cut of a bone. A control system is coupled the manipulator and obtains data defining a cutting plane for the bone and a pre-determined depth of the bone to be cut by the saw tool along the cutting plane. The control system associates a virtual planar boundary with the bone along the cutting plane and controls the manipulator to autonomously align the saw tool to the cutting plane. The control system controls the manipulator to activate and autonomously move the saw tool along the cutting plane to perform the cut. Autonomous movement of the saw tool is constrained to remain within the virtual planar boundary and not exceed the pre-determined depth.

An ultrasonic surgical instrument and method of deflecting an end effector includes the end effector having an ultrasonic blade, a shaft assembly defining a longitudinal axis, and a body assembly. The shaft assembly has an articulation section configured to articulate from a straight configuration to an articulated configuration and an acoustic waveguide with a flexible waveguide portion positioned within the articulation section. The body assembly proximally extends from the shaft assembly and includes a housing and a shiftable transducer. The shiftable transducer is secured to the acoustic waveguide and configured to generate an ultrasonic energy. In addition, the shiftable transducer assembly is movably mounted relative to the housing and configured to accommodate deflection of the end effector.

An access device for accessing an intervertebral disc having an outer shield comprising an access shield with a larger diameter (˜16-30 mm) that reaches from the skin down to the facet line, with an inner shield having a second smaller diameter (˜5-12 mm) extending past the access shield and reaches down to the disc level. This combines the benefits of the direct visual microsurgical/mini open approaches and the percutaneous, “ultra-MIS” techniques.