Back in school, I absolutely hated maths. It was boring, tough, and seemed totally useless. Geometry was the worst—so much drawing and measuring angles and sides of triangles. My old maths teacher, Miss Jones, had to put up with me for five years, constantly asking why I needed to know all this stuff. She'd always say, "You never know… you may well do one day." I loved reminding her, whenever I saw her, that I had never used that knowledge since passing my GCSE Maths.
Well, it turns out robots use triangles… a lot. You might wonder, like I did, how a robotic arm knows where it is in space with such pinpoint accuracy, like sub-millimetre precision. It's all about triangles. The onboard computers know the length of its arm and have a second known point on the base unit, called an anchor. Then, by following a set sequence, it can calculate the distance from the accompanying optical unit/camera. That, plus a bunch of other triangles thrown in.
So, Miss Jones, I almost owe you an apology… if only I was still technically correct… as I have never used this calculation… my robotic pal does this for me 🤷♂️ 🤖
In the medical field, robots are revolutionizing surgeries and treatments. Surgical robots, like the da Vinci Surgical System and others, use geometry to guide their precise movements. These robots have multiple arms equipped with surgical instruments and cameras. The onboard computers calculate the exact position and orientation of the instruments using geometric principles, ensuring that the surgeon can perform delicate procedures with high accuracy.
Medical imaging technologies, such as MRI and CT scans, rely on geometry to create detailed images of the body's internal structures. Robots equipped with imaging devices can navigate around the patient, capturing images from different angles. These images are then processed using geometric algorithms to create 3D models of the organs and tissues.
With the advancing technologies and increased accuracy surgeons are able to attain personalized placement based on the patients needs. They are having reduced soft tissue releases, more accurate bony resections and gaining more balanced and native implant placement. This leading to an improved surgical experience for the patient.
So, there's your answer to what robots and my old maths teacher Miss Jones have in common. If you're curious about robots, AI, and Mixed Reality in orthopaedics, get in touch. Want to know how we could help your patient journeys? Reach out too.