Robotic system and method for spinal and other surgeries

A robotic surgical system for assisting a surgeon in preparing a hole in a spine of a patient and placing a screw in the hole during an operation, the system comprising:

• a robot comprising an end-effector for holding a surgical tool for use in drilling the hole and placing the screw in a vertebra of the patient;
• a controller for controlling the position of the end-effector, wherein the end-effector can be manually and freely positioned by the surgeon during the operation;
• and
• a measurement system with a computer processor for:
• measuring a position of the surgical tool held by the end effector and a position of the vertebra of the patient;
• determining a change in the position of the vertebra;
• and
• automatically adjusting the position of the end effector holding the surgical tool based at least in part on a change in the position of the vertebra to maintain a planned screw trajectory such that a spatial relationship between the end effector and the vertebra defined by the planned screw trajectory remains substantially unaltered as the operation is performed, thereby ensuring the surgical tool remains aligned with the planned screw trajectory as a hole in the vertebra is prepared and a screw is placed in the hole,
• wherein the computer processor is configured to store a location of a volume to be protected, wherein a no-go zone is defined based at least in part on the volume to protect from removal,
• wherein the processor is configured to control a position of the robot such that the surgical tool does not enter the volume to be protected.