Systems And Methods For Identifying And Tracking Physical Objects During A Robotic Surgical Procedure

Surgical systems and methods for preventing collision of a cutting instrument with a retractor. A robotic device includes a robotic arm to support and move the cutting instrument. A vision device is attached to the robotic device or the cutting instrument such that the vision device is movable by the robotic device. A control system controls the robotic device to move the cutting instrument along a tool path to remove material from a bone. The control system acquires vision data sets from the vision device in response to movement of the cutting instrument along the tool path and detects the retractor from the vision data sets. The control system generates an output to prevent collision of the cutting instrument with the retractor, such as, for example, defining a "no-fly" zone for the retractor and controlling the robotic device to avoid the cutting instrument from contacting the "no-fly" zone.