Search

Robotics is an interdisciplinary field and there exist several well-known approaches to represent the dynamics model of a robot arm. The robot arm is an open kinematic chain of links connected through rotational and translational joints. In the general case, it is very difficult to obtain explicit expressions for the forces and the torques in the equations where the driving torques of the actuators produce desired motion of the gripper. The robot arm control depends significantly on the accuracy of the dynamic model. In the existing literature, the complexity of the dynamic model is reduced by linearization techniques or techniques like machine learning for the identification of unmodelled dynamics. This paper proposes a novel approach for deriving the equations of motion and the actuator torques of a robot arm with an arbitrary number of joints. The proposed approach for obtaining the dynamic model in closed form employs graph theory and the orthogonality principle, a powerful concept that serves as a generalization for the law of conservation of energy. The application of this approach is demonstrated using a 3D-printed planar robot arm with three degrees of freedom. Computer experiments for this robot are executed to validate the dynamic characteristics of the mathematical model of motion obtained by the application of the proposed approach. The results from the experiments are visualized and discussed in detail.

The orthopedic manipulation “bone drilling” is the most executed one in the orthopedic surgery concerning the operative treatment of bone fractures. The drilling process is characterized by a number of input and output parameters. The most important input parameters are the feed rate [mm/s] and the drill speed [rpm]. They play significant role for the final result (the output parameters): thermal and mechanical damages of the bone tissue as well as hole quality. During the manual drilling these parameters are controlled by the surgeon on the base of his practical skills. But the optimal results of the manipulations can be assured only when the input parameters are under control during an automatic execution of the drilling process. This work presents the functional characteristics of the handheld robotized system ODRO (Orthopedic Drilling Robot) for automatic bone drilling. Some experimental results are also shown. A comparison is made between the similar systems which are known in the literature, some of which are available on the market. The application areas of ODRO in the orthopedic surgery practice are underlined.

The bone drilling process is characterised by various parameters, the most important of which are the feed rate (mm/s) and the drill speed (rpm). They highly reflect the final effects and results of the drilling process, such as mechanical and thermal damages of bone tissue and hole quality. During manual drilling, these parameters are controlled by the surgeon based on his practical skills. But automatic drilling can assure an optimal result of the manipulation where such parameters are under control. During bicortical automatic bone drilling such a process consists of several stages: searching the contact with the first cortex, cortex drilling and automatic stop; searching the contact with the second cortex, cortex drilling and automatic stop; drill bit extraction. This work presents a way to control the feed rate during different stages of the bone drilling process (an original feed rate control algorithm) using the orthopaedic drilling robot (ODRO). The feed rate control is based on a proposed algorithm created and realised by specific software. During bicortical bone drilling process the feed rate takes various values in any stage in the range 0.5–6 mm/s. These values depend on drill bit position and real time force sensor data. The novelty of this work is the synthesis of an original feed rate control algorithm to solve the main problems of bone drilling in orthopaedic surgery – minimisation the drilling time (the heat generation); eliminating of the drill bit slip at the first (near) cortex and the drill bit bending at the second (far) cortex; minimising the risk of micro cracks which causes Traumatic Osteonecrosis; improving hole quality of the drilled holes; eliminating of the drill bit slip and the drill bit bending at the second cortex; minimising the value of the second cortex drill bit penetration by bicortical bone drilling.

Development of hand-held surgical robot for automatic bone drilling George Boiadjiev 1,2 , Kamen Delchev 2 ,Tony Boiadjiev 3 , Rumen Kastelov 4 , Kazimir Zagurski 5 1) Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, Sofia University, Sofia, Bulgaria 2) Institute of Mechanics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria 3) Institute of Information and Communication Technologies, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria 4) Orthopaedic and Trauma Clinical Centre of Ministry of Domestic Affairs, Sofia, Bulgaria 5) Institute of system engineering and robotics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria This paper represents the development of a prototype robotic system for automatic bone drilling in orthopedic surgery. Answering the surgical requirements for the robot dimensions and weight to be as small as possible a new design of the mechanical structure is proposed. The new structure design is based on idea of parallelism of the axis of the linear actuator and the axis of the rotary one. The control system is improved by using of a new micro-controller. A new type of linear drive and a new force sensor (load cell) are built in so that the quality characteristics of the “Orthopedic bone Drilling Robot” (ODRO) are not only the same as previous its versions [1, 2] but become better. An experimental setup is arranged and experiments are executed to test and verify the robot quality features and functional capabilities. References 1. G. Boiadjiev, T. Boiadjiev, V. Vitkov, K. Delchev, R. Kastelov, K. Zagurski, Robotizeed System for Automation of the Drilling in the Orthopedic Surgery. Control Algorithms and Experimental Results., Proceedings of the 9th IFAC International Symposium on Robot Control (SYROCO 2009), Gifu Japan, September 9-12, 2009, pp 633-637, (2009). 2. Boiadjiev, G., Kastelov, R., Boiadjiev, T., Kotev, V., Delchev, K., Zagurski, K., Vitkov, V., Design and performance study of an orthopaedic surgery robotized module for automatic bone drilling, International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery, 9(4), pp. 455–463, (2013).

Bone drilling manipulation often occurs in the orthopaedic surgery. By statistics, nowadays, about one million people only in Europe need such an operation every year, where bone implants are inserted. Almost always, the drilling is performed handily, which cannot avoid the subjective factor influence. The question of subjective factor reduction has its answer - automatic bone drilling. The specific features and problems of orthopaedic drilling manipulation are considered in this work. The automatic drilling is presented according the possibilities of robotized system Orthopaedic Drilling Robot (ODRO) for assuring the manipulation accuracy, precision, reliability and safety.

This paper deals with the improvement of the stability of sampled-data (SD) feedback control for nonlinear multiple-input multiple-output time varying systems, such as robotic manipulators, by incorporating an off-line model based nonlinear iterative learning controller. The proposed scheme of nonlinear iterative learning control (NILC) with SD feedback is applicable to a large class of robots because the sampled-data feedback is required for model based feedback controllers, especially for robotic manipulators with complicated dynamics (6 or 7 DOF, or more), while the feedforward control from the off-line iterative learning controller should be assumed as a continuous one. The robustness and convergence of the proposed NILC law with SD feedback is proven, and the derived sufficient condition for convergence is the same as the condition for a NILC with a continuous feedback control input. With respect to the presented NILC algorithm applied to a virtual PUMA 560 robot, simulation results are presented in order to verify convergence and applicability of the proposed learning controller with SD feedback controller attached

Bone drilling and cutting manipulations are widespread in the orthopedic surgery. In free hand performance of them some errors such as an inaccurate penetration and dilate of bone hole, overheating, harm soft tissues could be occurring. The goal of this study is to design and develop control concept for a bone drilling and cutting robotized system. The proposed orthopedic system consists of two executive modules for drilling and cutting and common control panel. The control algorithms and programs for drilling have done and given in the paper. We are developing the control algorithms for cutting manipulation.

We proposed a new approach for redundant robots trajectories planning, based on the Null space (or Kernel) features. The Null space (Kernel) exists only in the case of redundant robots and it describes these joints motion which do not affect the robot end-effector motion in the sense of both position and orientation. Based on this “hidden motion” realized in the configuration space, which does not affect the motion in the working zone, we can control independently the robot end-effector position and orientation motions, or just maintain its state while some external force is applied to it. The proposed control strategy is simple, no additional penalty functions are used to restraint the end-effector motion as in the case of the conventional methods. No pseudo inverse kinematics calculations are required; the desired trajectories are generated directly in the configuration space. No complicated control schemes are introduced, the proposed method is based on solving algebraic systems of equations and finding eigenvectors and eigenvalues. In the paper the results from simulations and experiments based on the proposed method are presented and discussed.

Background: Currently, applications of robotized systems in orthopedic trauma surgery steadily increase due to their functional abilities facilitating surgeon skills. The aim of this study is to present the functional advantages of a recently developed robot for bone drilling. Methods: Ex-vivo experiments were performed on fresh porcine and bovine bones, as well as on fresh and embalmed human bones such as femora, vertebrae and rips, by the use of the robot for bone drilling to identify diverse control parameters and analyse thrust force and drill bit temperature during drilling. Results: Experimental data during drilling is shown, control algorithms are described and bone drilling modes are characterized. Maximal values of thrust force and temperature are detected. Controlling thrust force seems to be the proper way to reduce force resistance and hence temperature during drilling. In automatic drilling mode, preliminary defined channel depth is drilled with accuracy of 0.1 mm, and far cortex end recognition is proved to work reliably for automatic stop with minimal controlled soft tissue penetration. Cortex and bone marrow thickness are measured and analysed in real time. Conclusion: The bone drilling robot is programmed to follow with high accuracy parameters defined by the surgeon. Enhancing surgeon’s freedom and responsibility to make decisions, it can perform precise manipulations, decreasing the influence of subjective factors and increasing patient’s safety.