MBARS: mini bone-attached robotic system for joint arthroplasty.

A report on a new active, miniature bone-attached, robotic system including its design, high level and low level control, is given together with a description of the system implementation and first experimental use. The system is capable of preparing the bone cavity for an implant during joint arthroplasty procedures. Without loss of generality, the report describes the implementation of the system for a Patellofemoral Joint Replacement procedure. The system is image-free and all planning is performed intra-operatively in the robot coordinate system, eliminating the need for external tracking systems in the operating room. Experiments were conducted using the first robot prototype and the results supported the feasibility of the concept. The methodology which is presented can be modified to other orthopaedic procedures and could improve the results in terms of accuracy and operational time. Moreover, it enables minimally invasive procedures and use of the next generation of more anatomically shaped implants. Copyright 2005 Robotic Publications Ltd.