Robotic Technology in Orthopaedic Surgery

Robotic technology used in orthopaedics can be classified on the basis of direct and indirect action and according to the mechanism of cutting, including autonomous, haptic, and boundary control. Robotics have been used in multiple orthopaedic subspecialties including spine, total joint arthroplasty, trauma, shoulder, and foot and ankle. Advantages of using robotic technology in orthopaedics include the possibility of improving implant placement (e.g., reducing outliers), accessing certain anatomic areas, reducing complications, decreasing fluoroscopy use, and performing remote surgery. Disadvantages of using robotics in orthopaedics include increased costs, the need for updated software, the surgeon learning curve and increased operative time, imaging for preoperative templating, potential incorrect placement of implants with poor input of data from the surgeon, and possibly no difference in long-term outcomes.