Alliance to Develop Software for Robotic Knee Repair

An agreement to develop software that will allow surgeons to use computer-assisted surgical planning and robotics technology (CASPAR) for implanting knee systems has been announced by Smith & Nephew (Memphis, TN, USA) and URS Ortho (Schwerin, Germany). Under the agreement, URS Ortho will develop software that allows CASPAR to prepare bone for the various knee components replaced by Smith & Nephew.

The CASPAR technology uses computed tomography (CT) images to calculate 3-D image information regarding the patient's joint. The surgery can then be performed virtually on a computer screen, allowing for careful preoperative planning. The plan is then saved to a chip, which is transferred to the surgical robot. The robot does not replace the surgeon, notes Smith & Nephew. Rather, it enables them to perform surgery with greater precision.

"CASPAR enacts these instructions with a precision not possible by the human hand in the operating room,” said Klaus Wemhoff, chief executive, marketing and sales, for URS. "Exact planning and precise operation during robotic surgery ensures that the prosthesis will perfectly match the worn-out knee cartilage it is replacing.”





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URS Ortho
Smith & Nephew