A handheld steerable curved cutting device

Unmet Need
ACL reconstruction surgery requires drilling a straight path past the LCL and along the edge of the tibia. This may result in injury to the LCL and tibia that could be avoided if it were possible for a different drilling path to be taken. This issue of orthopedic drills only being able to create straight pathways appears in many surgeries, including treatment of Osteonecrosis and Osteolysis, and thousands of orthopedic surgeries occur annually. This issue also appears in various industrial and general applications. There is a need in the art for a steerable drill for hard objects in different applications that is able to create a curved pathway.
 
Technology Overview
Johns Hopkins researchers have developed a handheld steerable cutting device using a continuum manipulator with a tool channel which can be used for curved cutting, drilling or milling tasks of hard objects in various industrial, medical, or general applications. Interchangeable cutting tools are paired with the continuum manipulator based on the cutting task. Users can control the bending angle and rotational speed to guide the cutting tool through the desired path. The tool can be attached to a vacuum pump and water source for simultaneous irrigation and aspiration during cutting.
 
Stage of Development
Concept.
 
Publications
Alambeigi F, et al. IEEE EMBC, 2016

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