Cranial drill with automatic stop and associated systems and methods

One or more non-transitory computer readable media having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors of a drilling system, cause the drilling system to perform operations comprising:

• providing power to a drill motor to cause rotation of a drill bit of the drilling system, wherein the drill bit includes a cutting surface, and wherein at least a portion of the cutting surface is configured to contact a tissue of a patient when in operation;
• determining, via a sensing element of the drilling system, a parameter of the drill motor including a drill motor current, wherein the parameter corresponds to a shape of the cutting surface, and wherein determining the parameter includes determining a second derivative of the drill motor current by steps comprising
• obtaining multiple drill motor current values during a drilling procedure;
• determining a first derivative of the multiple drill motor current values by obtaining a difference between individual ones of the multiple drill motor current values;
• and
• determining the second derivative of the drill motor current by obtaining a difference between individual ones of the first derivative of the multiple drill motor current values;
• and
• when the parameter meets or exceeds a triggering threshold, causing the drill motor to slow, stop, and/or reverse the rotation of the drill bit.

A method of operating a surgical drilling device, comprising:

• providing power to a drill motor to cause rotation of a drill bit of the surgical drilling device, wherein the drill bit includes a cutting surface, and wherein at least a portion of the cutting surface is configured to contact a tissue of a patient when in operation;
• determining, via a sensing element of the surgical drilling device, a parameter of the drill motor, wherein the parameter corresponds to a shape of the cutting surface, wherein determining the parameter includes determining a second derivative of current drawn by the drill motor when in operation by steps comprising
• obtaining multiple drill motor current values during a drilling procedure;
• determining a first derivative of the multiple drill motor current values by obtaining a difference between individual ones of the multiple drill motor current values, and
• determining the second derivative by obtaining a difference between individual ones of the first derivative of the multiple drill motor current values;
• and
• when the parameter meets or exceeds a triggering threshold, causing the drill motor to slow, stop, and/or reverse the rotation of the drill bit.