Background

Musculoskeletal disorders are second most common cause of disability and globally afflict more than 100 million people per year. Current treatments, although effective, often result in unwanted side effects including X-ray exposure, nonunion of bone and poor healing. Robotic manipulation of bone to improve surgical accuracy is a newly emerging technology but is limited due to bulky physical designs and inadequate bone alignment capabilities.

Technology & Competitive Advantage

This invention describes a new robotic device that can manipulate bone for fracture reduction and spinal surgeries while providing the surgeon improved accuracy and a more accommodating workspace. The device has

the potential to alleviate many of the disadvantages with current robotic assisted surgery platforms. The device exhibits a half-circle design offering the surgeon adequate space to perform surgical procedures. In addition, each leg is comprised with three motorized joints which aid in precise positioning of bone to avoid misalignment and inadequate healing. This device can be used to perform bone reduction and surgical manipulation with various bones in the human body. Applications consist of bone surgeries in the femur, tibia, humerus, ulna and radius as well as the spinal column.

Market Opportunity

In the United States, fracture of the long bones accounted for more than 5 million hospital visits in 2016 with incidence expected to increase approximately 7% a year1. Expenditures related to fracture reduction and fixation are more than $4.2 billion2 per year. The majority of the costs associated with fracture reduction are imaging and fixation devices5. In addition, the spinal surgery market is expected to $14 billion by 2020, thus opening up  two rapidly expanding medical markets for this device. There are currently no robotic platforms commercially available for precise positioning in these indications. Rowan University is looking for a partner for further development and commercialization of this technology through a license.

1 -U.S. Markets for Fracture Fixation Products. 2015. http://lsintel.com/market-reports-page.php?id=A326

2 -Trauma Fixation – US Analysis and Market Forecasts. 2013. https://www.marketresearch.com/product/sample-7851274.pdf