The development and error analysis of a kinematic parameters based spatial positioning method for an orthopedic...

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Medical Imaging
• Orthopedic Surgery

Background:

• Spatial positioning and accuracy are critical for surgical navigation robot systems.
• Existing methods often require C-arm calibration, adding complexity.
• Ensuring precise navigation is paramount for patient safety and surgical outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a C-arm calibration-free method for spatial positioning in surgical navigation.
• To solve the redundant degrees of freedom (DOF) problem in robot arm kinematics.
• To analyze the impact of various error sources on navigation accuracy.

Main Methods:

• Utilized kinematic parameters of a six DOF robot arm to establish image-to-robot coordinate system transformation.
• Employed Monte Carlo simulation to investigate the influence of kinematic, image, and gauge errors.
• Validated the method's feasibility through cadaver experiments.

Main Results:

• Achieved a navigation error of less than 0.6 mm.
• Demonstrated the method's feasibility in practical settings.
• Identified linear correlation between robot kinematic error and final navigation error, and nonlinear influences from image and gauge errors.

Conclusions:

• The proposed kinematic parameter-based method offers accurate and convenient navigation for orthopedic procedures.
• The error analysis provides valuable insights for designing and assigning error tolerances in surgical robots.
• This advancement can improve the efficiency and safety of robot-assisted orthopedic surgeries.