Augmented Reality-Assisted Automated Rod Contouring for Spine Surgery

Robotics

Project Team:

Last Updated: 11/12/2024

Short Description

AR-guided device for automated spinal rod shaping in ASD surgery to reduce operating time, material wear, and improve surgical precision

Full Description

Rod contouring is an indispensable step in adult spine deformity (ASD) surgery where surgeons must free-hand bend a rod to fit a 3D curvature. This manual process is time-consuming and often requires repetitive adjustments, increasing the likelihood of a rod stress fracture and adverse patient outcomes. Augmented reality (AR) is an emerging, powerful technology that has gained significant traction over the last five years for its role in guiding orthopedic and neurological surgeries. Our objective is to design a device that (1) generates an ideal spinal rod shape based on operative AR data and (2) autonomously bends a rod that shape. This pipeline allows surgeons to "dry fit" a shape they are considering before forming a rod, significantly reducing material wear and operating time.