# How Surgical Robots Reconfigure Their Arms Without Moving the Tool Tip > This patent describes how a surgical robot arm can move and reshape itself to avoid obstacles or improve its position, all while keeping its surgical tool perfectly still at the patient's entry point or target. - **Patent:** US 9949801 - **Original title:** Systems and methods for commanded reconfiguration of a surgical manipulator using the null-space - **Owner:** Intuitive Surgical Operations - **Granted:** 2018 - **Status:** Active - **Times cited:** 2 - **Field:** medical_devices, robotics, software, telecommunications, mechanical ## What it does The patent details a method for a robot arm, like those used in surgery, to reconfigure its shape without disturbing the position or orientation of its working end, called the distal portion or end effector. When the robot receives a 'reconfiguration command' (Claim 1), it calculates specific joint velocities for its multiple joints. These calculated movements ensure that while parts of the arm shift, the distal portion remains in its 'desired state' (Claim 1), meaning its position, orientation, or velocity stays unchanged (Claim 4). This is achieved by ensuring the combined joint velocities lie within the 'null-space' of the manipulator arm's Jacobian (Claim 2), which means these joint movements have no effect on the end effector's position. For example, a surgeon could command the robot arm to move its elbow out of the way to prevent it from bumping into another instrument, all while the scalpel at the arm's tip remains precisely where it needs to be. ## What it does NOT cover - Does not cover robot arm movements where the distal portion (the tool tip) is intended to move or change its state. - Does not cover robot arms that lack sufficient 'degrees of freedom' (extra joints) to allow for internal reconfiguration without moving the end effector. - Does not cover systems that reconfigure the arm by physically detaching and reattaching segments, rather than by coordinated joint movements. - Does not cover simple robot arm movements that only involve moving the end effector to a new position without any concurrent internal arm reconfiguration. - Does not cover reconfigurations that do not involve calculating joint velocities based on a kinematic Jacobian or similar mathematical model. ## The clever bit The core innovation is using the 'null-space' of the robot arm's kinematics. This mathematical concept identifies specific ways the robot's joints can move that change the arm's shape but have absolutely no effect on the position or orientation of the tool at its very end. This allows for internal arm adjustments without disturbing the surgical task. ## Real-world examples 1. Intuitive Surgical da Vinci surgical systems 2. Other advanced surgical robotic platforms 3. Industrial robots performing tasks requiring fixed tool points ## Why it matters In robotic surgery, maintaining the precise position of a surgical instrument is critical for patient safety and surgical accuracy. This patent allows surgical robots to adjust their posture, for instance, to avoid collisions with other instruments or to improve the robot's overall reach, without interrupting the delicate work being performed by the tool tip. This capability enhances the robot's dexterity and safety, making complex procedures more manageable and efficient for surgeons. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does How Surgical Robots Reconfigure Their Arms Without Moving the Tool Tip cover? This patent describes how a surgical robot arm can move and reshape itself to avoid obstacles or improve its position, all while keeping its surgical tool perfectly still at the patient's entry point or target. ### Who owns patent US 9949801? Intuitive Surgical Operations owns this patent, granted in 2018. ### When does this patent expire? This patent is expected to expire on November 22, 2036, when the invention enters the public domain. ### What is patent US 9949801 cited by? This patent has been cited by 2 later patents that build on its ideas. ### What problem does this patent solve? In robotic surgery, maintaining the precise position of a surgical instrument is critical for patient safety and surgical accuracy. This patent allows surgical robots to adjust their posture, for instance, to avoid collisions with other instruments or to improve the robot's overall reach, without interrupting the delicate work being performed by the tool tip. This capability enhances the robot's dexterity and safety, making complex procedures more manageable and efficient for surgeons. ### What does this patent NOT cover? Does not cover robot arm movements where the distal portion (the tool tip) is intended to move or change its state. **Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9949801/systems-and-methods-for-commanded-reconfiguration-of-a-surgical-manipulator-usin **Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US9949801 --- _Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._ ## Related patents Semantically similar inventions in the PatentBrief corpus: - [How a Surgical Robot Arm's Wrist Moves Instruments](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12414825/surgical-arm) — This patent describes a specific design for the end part of a surgical robot arm, called the terminal portion, which uses a clever arrangement of three joints to precisely position and rotate surgical tools. - [How a Robotic Surgical Tool Clamps Tissue Manually and Automatically](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/11786761/ultrasonic-robotic-tool-actuation) — This patent describes a surgical tool for robotic operations that can clamp tissue using a motor-driven yoke, but also allows a surgeon to manually control the clamping action. - [Uniform Scaling of Haptic Forces in Surgical Systems](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12114954/uniform-scaling-of-haptic-actuators) — This patent describes a surgical system that uses a single scaling factor to adjust the strength of touch feedback from multiple motors, ensuring the feedback feels consistent even when one motor reaches its maximum power. - [Robots That Don't Get Stuck: A Master-Slave Control System](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/9855653/master-slave-system) — This patent describes a robot control system where a human-operated 'master' robot guides a 'slave' robot, preventing either from getting into awkward, uncontrollable positions by carefully planning the master robot's movements. - [How a Robotic Exoskeleton Helps Your Shoulder Move](https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10800031/spherical-parallel-manipulator-architecture-for-shoulder-robotic-exoskeleton) — This patent describes a robotic shoulder exoskeleton using multiple straight-moving actuators arranged in a "spherical parallel manipulator" to assist or rehabilitate arm movements while preventing joint misalignment.