Surgical system using a registration device

A method, comprising:

• determining a patient-specific coordinate system for a portion of a patient's anatomy to be operated on;
• registering the portion of the patient's anatomy to the patient-specific coordinate system, the registering performed using (1) a single physical instrument having a plurality of different physical points that directly contact different surface points of the portion of the patient's anatomy or (2) a single virtual instrument having a plurality of different virtual points that virtually mate directly with the portion of the patient's anatomy;
• continuously tracking, by a processor, positions of a robotic controlled instrument relative to the patient-specific coordinate system as the robotic controlled instrument moves near the portion of the patient's anatomy;
• automatically engaging and disengaging operation of the robotic controlled instrument based on the continuously tracked positions relative to the patient-specific coordinate system;
• and
• utilizing the patient-specific coordinate system to at least one of
• orient, or
• locate
• an implant at the portion of the patient's anatomy.

A method, comprising:

• registering a portion of a patient's anatomy, to be operated on, to a patient-specific coordinate system by docking a physical instrument to the patient's anatomy;
• continuously tracking, by a processor, one or more positions of a robotic controlled instrument relative to the patient-specific coordinate system as the robotic controlled instrument moves in relation to the portion of the patient's anatomy, wherein the physical instrument is undocked from the patient's anatomy prior to and while the one or more positions of the robotic controlled instrument are continuously tracked relative to the patient-specific coordinate system;
• and
• automatically engaging or disengaging operation of the robotic controlled instrument based on the continuously tracked positions relative to the patient-specific coordinate system.