Problem
Approximately 75% to 85% of all Americans will experience back pain during their lifetime. Indeed, there are more than 3 million cases of spinal disc herniation in the United States each year and many of these Americans will turn to surgery for relief. The most common surgical spinal procedure in the United States is lumbar discectomy, with more than 350,000 cases per year. Lumbar discectomy surgery is performed to remove the herniated disk material that is irritating or inflaming the nerve root.
Solution
Over the years, robotic tools and systems have been created for assisting surgeons during surgery. For spinal surgeries, robotic intervention has primarily focused on robots for screw insertion, laminectomy, for needle-based interventions, and surgical tool trajectory planning. Unfortunately, existing surgical robotic tools are not compatible with limited workspace in the spine to perform dexterous procedures, such as lumbar discectomy. Thus, C2 Medical Robotics, Inc. is developing robotic tools and systems for use in these types of delicate procedures.
About C2 Medical Robotics
C2 Medical Robotics is a spin-off company from the Multi-Scale Robotics and Automation Lab at Purdue University.
David J. Cappelleri, PhD
Co-Founder, President, and Chief Technology Officer
David J. Cappelleri is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University. He is the founding director of the Multi-Scale Robotics and Automation Lab at Purdue University. He has over 20 years of experience in both academia and industry in designing and implementing electromechanical, robotic, and automation systems for medical applications.
Brian A. Cole, MD
Co-Founder, Vice President, and Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Brian A. Cole is a surgeon at Englewood Orthopedic Associates in Englewood, NJ, where he specializes in adult and pediatric spinal surgery. He is certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. He has more than 20 years of surgical experience and 26 years of medical training.
