Robotics Arthoplasty System Helps Restore Active Lifestyle

A next generation robotics knee platform boasts a modular design that enables it to be scaled across the orthopaedic service line.

The Smith & Nephew (London, United Kingdom) CORI Surgical System is a handheld robotics solution intended for both unicompartmental and total knee arthroplasties. At the heart of the system is the ATRACSYS (Puidoux, Switzerland) fusionTrack 500, which is composed of two cameras designed to detect and track fiducials (reflective spheres, disks, and/or IR-LEDs) with sub-millimeter accuracy. Using triangulation to retrieve the 3D position of each fiducial, CORI then build a computer-rendered model of the patient’s knee to create a patient-specific surgical plan based on the unique shape and motion of the patient's knee.


From the model, the system then calculates the correct implant needed, and instructs the surgeon on how much bone material needs to be removed, and exactly where to remove it, so as to prepare the ideal surface for the implant. During surgery, the CORI handpiece removes the damaged section of the knee joint, guided by the pre-surgical 3D model to accurately differentiate between damaged and healthy areas. This helps patients keep more natural bone and ligaments, including the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), contributing to a more natural gate.

“Instead of a bulky appliance moving your hand during surgery, CORI allows you to perform the procedure while it corrects for you. It keeps the surgeon in control and makes everything more elegant,” said surgeon Jimmy Chow, MD, of the Orthopedic Institute of the West (Phoenix, AZ, USA). “Smith+Nephew's Real Intelligence ecosystem puts the surgeon at the center by combining all aspects of patient care, hardware, software and data solutions to enhance decision-making in and out of the OR.”

Unicompartmental knee replacement involves placing an implant on just one side of the knee, rather than over the entire surface of the knee joint, as is the case in total knee replacement (TKR). Because the incision is smaller, patients suffer less pain, spend less recovery time in the hospital, and can be active sooner. The procedure also reduces risks of infection or blood loss. Patients treated with partial knee replacement have more functionality and greater range of motion than patients treated with a TKR.

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