Total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) is the third most common joint replacement. While robotassisted hip and knee replacement technologies have enjoyed extensive development, this has been limited in the upper limb. This work focused on quantifying the localization accuracy of a robotic system, and evaluating its efficacy in the context of TSA.

A collaborative robot was fitted with a stylus tip to perform manual surface digitizations using the robot’s encoder output. In the first experiment, two precision-machined master cubes, representing the working volume around a glenoid structure, were used for system validation. Next, cadaveric glenoids were digitized and compared to a ‘gold standard’ laser scanner. Digitization errors were 0.37±0.27 mm, showing that collaborative robotics can be used for osseous anatomy digitization.

This thesis presents two novel concepts:​ 1) use of collaborative robotics for manually operated surface digitizing, and 2) optical fiducial technique, allowing registration between a laser scanner and stylus digitizer.