Surgical Robotics: From EMC Failure to Full-Function Compliance
The Challenge
A manufacturer of advanced orthopedic surgical robotics was facing a significant electromagnetic compatibility problem with a new robotic surgical system.
The system was unable to pass EMC compliance testing in its intended configuration.
In an effort to achieve compliance, five important system functions had been disabled. Even with those functions removed, the system continued to experience EMC compliance problems.
The manufacturer needed more than additional testing. It needed to understand why the system was generating and coupling electromagnetic energy, and how to correct the underlying design without sacrificing functionality.
ELEXANA was engaged to work directly with the engineering team at the manufacturer’s facility.
Finding the Mechanism
ELEXANA approached the robot as an integrated electromagnetic system rather than treating the compliance failures as isolated PCB or component problems.
The investigation examined the interaction between the electronics, printed circuit boards, system integration, interconnections, current paths, and the electromagnetic behavior of the complete robotic platform.
Testing and engineering analysis identified self-generated electromagnetic interactions within the system as an important contributor to the compliance problem.
The objective was not simply to suppress the measured emissions sufficiently to obtain a passing test result.
The objective was to correct the electromagnetic architecture of the system so that the robot could operate as designed.
Engineering the Solution
Working onsite with the manufacturer’s engineering team, ELEXANA developed and implemented a system-level EMC redesign.
The work included redesigning two printed circuit boards, changing aspects of the system integration, and reducing self-induced electromagnetic coupling within the robotic platform.
Changes were evaluated against the actual electromagnetic behavior of the system, allowing the design to evolve from measurement and engineering evidence rather than trial-and-error suppression.
Most importantly, the five functions that had previously been removed in an effort to achieve compliance were restored.
The complete robotic system was then evaluated in its intended functional configuration.
The Result
The redesigned surgical robot passed EMC compliance testing with all five critical functions restored.
The project demonstrated an important distinction between EMC testing and EMC engineering.
A compliance laboratory can determine whether a product passes or fails a defined test.
When a sophisticated electronic system fails, however, achieving compliance without compromising its intended performance may require understanding and redesigning the electromagnetic behavior of the product itself.
For this surgical robotic system, the solution ultimately extended from the PCB level through complete system integration.
ELEXANA did not simply help the product pass a test.
We helped engineer the product that passed it.
Electromagnetic Integrity Engineering™
Complex electronic systems increasingly combine high-speed digital electronics, power conversion, sensors, communications, motors, processors, and sensitive analog circuitry within tightly integrated platforms.
Their EMC performance therefore cannot always be solved at the component level.
ELEXANA investigates the complete electromagnetic system—from PCB behavior and current paths to system integration and the surrounding electromagnetic environment—to identify the physical mechanism behind difficult EMC failures and engineer practical corrections.
Where troubleshooting ends, our work begins