— Robotic-assisted joint replacement
A surgical plan
built for your
anatomy.
Mako SmartRobotics combines a personalized 3D plan from your CT scan with a surgeon-controlled robotic arm that executes that plan within a fraction of a millimeter. The same platform powers our hip, total knee, and partial knee replacements.
CT-based
3D planning
A surgical plan built from your CT scan — specific to your anatomy.
Sub-mm
Accuracy
Bone cuts and implant placement executed within a fraction of a millimeter.
Surgeon-led
Robotic arm
Not autonomous — every motion is controlled by the surgeon.
Hip · Knee · Partial
All three procedures
The same Mako platform powers all of our joint replacement procedures.
How Mako works.
A combined overview of how the Mako system powers hip, total knee, and partial knee replacement — from CT-based planning through robotic-arm execution to recovery.
— Animation
Mako for Joint Replacement
Video courtesy of Stryker
Three steps.
One system.
Robotic-assisted surgery isn’t a single moment in the operating room — it’s a system that starts with a CT scan weeks before surgery and continues through every cut and implant placement on the day.
— BEFORE
CT scan & 3D model
A pre-operative CT scan is converted into a personalized 3D model of your joint. From that model, we build a surgical plan specific to your anatomy: implant size, position, alignment, and how it interacts with your soft tissues.
— DURING
Real-time adjustment
In the operating room, the plan is updated based on how your knee or hip actually behaves under tension — soft-tissue balance, range of motion, ligament behavior. The plan becomes truly final at this point, not before.
— EXECUTION
Robotic-arm precision
The Mako robotic arm enforces the final plan. Bone cuts are made within a fraction of a millimeter of the planned position. The implant fits because the bone was prepared to fit it — not the other way around.
Why robotic
precision matters.
A joint replacement isn’t a one-day operation — it’s a 20-year implant. The small alignment errors that traditional surgery sometimes accumulates are the same errors that show up as long-term wear, loosening, or revision surgery. Robotic precision is about avoiding those errors before they happen.
01
Personalized, not templated
Most joint replacement is performed using a standardized plan adjusted intra-operatively. Mako inverts that — the plan is built from your CT scan from the start.
02
Better alignment, better wear
Sub-millimeter accuracy in bone cuts and implant positioning. Proper alignment is the foundation of how a joint replacement performs and wears over time.
03
Real-time soft-tissue balance
The plan can be adjusted intra-operatively based on how your ligaments actually behave — something that’s hard to assess accurately without robotic tools.
04
Surgeon-controlled, not autonomous
Every motion of the robotic arm is controlled by the surgeon. Mako enforces the plan and prevents alignment errors — it doesn’t replace surgical judgment.
05
Smaller margin of error
Especially for partial knee replacement, where there’s less room for the small alignment errors that a total knee can absorb.
06
Fewer outliers, more consistency
The strongest finding in the robotic-assisted literature: dramatically fewer alignment outliers than conventional technique. The cases that go just slightly wrong, don’t.
The procedures
Mako powers.
A joint replacement isn’t a one-day operation — it’s a 20-year implant. The small alignment errors that traditional surgery sometimes accumulates are the same errors that show up as long-term wear, loosening, or revision surgery. Robotic precision is about avoiding those errors before they happen.
01 · HIP
Anterior hip replacement
Muscle-sparing approach through the front of the hip, paired with Mako precision. Same-day walking, no hip precautions.
02 · KNEE
Robotic total knee
Mako-assisted total knee replacement using a quadriceps-sparing technique. Faster strength return and stairs.
03 · KNEE
Partial knee replacement
When arthritis is confined to one compartment, replace only that. Smaller incision, more natural feel, faster recovery.
Frequently asked
questions.
The questions patients ask most often about Mako and robotic-assisted joint replacement.
Is the robot performing the surgery?
No. The Mako robotic arm doesn’t operate autonomously. Every motion is controlled by the surgeon. The system enforces the surgical plan — it prevents the kind of small alignment errors that can compound over years — but the operation itself is still surgeon-led from start to finish.
Why do I need a CT scan before surgery?
No. The Mako robotic arm doesn’t operate autonomously. Every motion is controlled by the surgeon. The system enforces the surgical plan — it prevents the kind of small alignment errors that can compound over years — but the operation itself is still surgeon-led from start to finish.
Does insurance cover robotic-assisted surgery?
No. The Mako robotic arm doesn’t operate autonomously. Every motion is controlled by the surgeon. The system enforces the surgical plan — it prevents the kind of small alignment errors that can compound over years — but the operation itself is still surgeon-led from start to finish.
Does robotic surgery take longer?
No. The Mako robotic arm doesn’t operate autonomously. Every motion is controlled by the surgeon. The system enforces the surgical plan — it prevents the kind of small alignment errors that can compound over years — but the operation itself is still surgeon-led from start to finish.
Is robotic surgery safer?
No. The Mako robotic arm doesn’t operate autonomously. Every motion is controlled by the surgeon. The system enforces the surgical plan — it prevents the kind of small alignment errors that can compound over years — but the operation itself is still surgeon-led from start to finish.
How long has Mako been around?
No. The Mako robotic arm doesn’t operate autonomously. Every motion is controlled by the surgeon. The system enforces the surgical plan — it prevents the kind of small alignment errors that can compound over years — but the operation itself is still surgeon-led from start to finish.
— What patients say
Built on
measured outcomes.
— Fellowship-trained · UCLA · Allegheny General
Dr. Omar Kadri.
Fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon specializing in muscle-sparing hip replacement, robotic-assisted joint reconstruction, and regenerative orthopedics. Trained at UCLA School of Medicine, Henry Ford Health System, and Allegheny General Hospital. Practicing in Riverside and Corona.
Find out if a partial
that needs work?
Start with an evaluation visit — exam, X-ray review, and a straight conversation about whether partial or total knee replacement fits your knee.