Patent ID: 8366719

Claim:
A powered driving device for minimal-step placement of a screw into a bone, the powered driving device comprising: a drive component configured for delivering torque to a drive shaft, wherein the drive component is powered by a first electrical current; the drive shaft communicatively coupled to the drive component, wherein the drive shaft rotates axially when torque is delivered by the drive component; a drive chamber that encases the drive component and the drive shaft, the drive chamber for housing a screw, wherein the screw couples to the drive shaft when housed in the drive chamber; the screw housed in the drive chamber, wherein the screw is configured to be advanced and inserted into the bone by the axial rotation of the drive shaft, the screw comprising: a self-drilling tip, wherein the self-drilling tip is configured to form an impression in an outer cortical region of the bone in the absence of a pre-drilled guide hole; a flute, wherein the flute is configured to facilitate advancement of the screw into the bone without fracturing the bone in the absence of pre-tapping; and a crown portion at an end of the screw opposite the self-drilling tip; a voltage generator for delivering a second electrical current to the screw when the screw is at least partially inserted into the bone; a monitoring component for detecting a position of the screw, wherein the monitoring component detects the position of the screw at least in part by measuring the second electrical current to determine a resistance of the bone surrounding the screw; an alert component for issuing an alert when the monitoring component detects that the screw has an improper trajectory; a safety trigger for automatically shutting down the powered driving device when the monitoring component detects the screw is in an improper position; and a stop component for automatically shutting down the powered driving device before the crown of the screw counter-sinks into the bone while the monitoring component detects the screw has a proper trajectory and a proper position, wherein the stop component detects one of: a) a portion of the screw reaching an end of the drive chamber, or b) a portion of the drive shaft reaching an end of the drive chamber.