Authors
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Zain Mohammed
Warwick Clinical Trials Unit, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
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Chetan Khatri
Warwick Clinical Trials Unit, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
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Henry Searle
Warwick Clinical Trials Unit, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
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Andrew Metcalfe
Warwick Clinical Trials Unit, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
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Edward Davis
The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Keywords:
Robortics, Orthopaedics, Orthopedics, lower limb arthroplasty, technology, Surgical technique, Surgical Outcomes, Trials
Abstract
Orthopaedics has grappled with robotics for three decades. One of its first major ventures, ROBODOC (Curexo Technology Corp, South Korea, 1992), was an ‘active’ robotic system designed to autonomously execute bone cuts required for arthroplasty. Concerns over safety, workflow, and a lack of intraoperative flexibility limited its widespread adoption. It was superseded by TSolution One (THINK Surgical, USA) in 2014, adding improved CT-based planning, enhanced registration, and safeguards against soft-tissue injury. It remains the only autonomous robotic system available today. Yet, whether robotics in orthopaedics ultimately offers improvements in clinical or cost effectiveness remains uncertain. Adoption has often outpaced evidence, and only now are large-scale RCTs, such as the RACER trials, underway to assess the value of robotics in arthroplasty.
Author Biographies
Zain Mohammed, Warwick Clinical Trials Unit, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
Academic Foundation Doctor; Trauma and Orthopaedics, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Coventry, UK
Chetan Khatri, Warwick Clinical Trials Unit, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
Orthopaedic Registrar, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Coventry, UK
Henry Searle, Warwick Clinical Trials Unit, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
Orthopaedic Registrar, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Coventry, UK
Andrew Metcalfe, Warwick Clinical Trials Unit, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon & Professor of Trauma and Orthopaedics
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Coventry, UK
Edward Davis, The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Consultant Arthroplasty Surgeon and Clinical Service Lead for Arthroplasty
Head of Undergraduate Academy and Honorary Professor at The University of Birmingham
