AR Controller for Shared 3D Visual Information in Operating Rooms
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Solution Overview
Problem
In medical procedures requiring multiple staff in an enclosed space, such as an operating room, it is challenging to effectively share information like pre-operative imaging, intraoperative imaging, live views, and patient vitals due to the positioning of staff, which hinders collaborative work.
Innovation Solution
A controller for augmented reality that manages the generation of visual information in a shared three-dimensional space, allowing multiple augmented reality devices to display and control the same visual information, enabling seamless information sharing among staff through head-mountable devices with sensors and processors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple staff members are positioned in an enclosed operating room space, then collaborative medical procedures can be performed, but effective information sharing becomes difficult due to positioning constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional screen sharing to three-dimensional spatial information distribution. Multiple augmented reality devices display information feeds in a shared 3D space, allowing staff to access visual information from any position around the patient without being constrained by monitor locations or line-of-sight requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a controller as an intermediary device that receives information feeds from various sources and distributes them to multiple augmented reality devices. This mediator coordinates the display of pre-operative imaging, intraoperative imaging, live views, and patient vitals across multiple staff members' devices, enabling seamless information sharing.
2Productivity
If traditional screen sharing is used in an enclosed space, then information can be displayed, but staff cannot freely move and position themselves optimally
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a three-dimensional information environment where visual data is distributed throughout the operating space rather than confined to fixed screens. Staff members can move freely while maintaining access to information feeds through their portable augmented reality devices, which track and display relevant data based on their position and orientation.
Solution Approach 2:
The augmented reality devices serve multiple functions: displaying pre-operative imaging, intraoperative imaging, live views, and patient vitals. A single device replaces multiple specialized monitors, allowing staff to access diverse information types without being tethered to specific display locations.
3Loss of information
If multiple monitors are deployed for information sharing, then comprehensive data can be displayed, but device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using multiple physical monitors, the patent creates virtual copies of information feeds displayed through augmented reality devices. Each staff member receives a personalized view of the same information sources, eliminating the need for multiple physical display devices while maintaining full information accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent consolidates multiple information feeds (pre-operative imaging, intraoperative imaging, live views, patient vitals) into a unified augmented reality display system. The controller integrates these diverse data streams and distributes them through portable devices, reducing overall system complexity compared to deploying separate monitors for each information type.
Data Source
AI summary
A controller for augmenting reality includes a memory that stores instructions, and a processor that executes the instructions. The controller receives, from at least one device that provides output via a display, an information feed comprising first visual information from the at least one device. When executed by the processor, the instructions cause the controller to execute a process comprising controlling generation of first visual information in a first shared portion of a three-dimensional (3D) space by a first augmented reality device as augmented reality, and controlling generation of the first visual information in the first shared portion of the 3D space by a second augmented reality device as augmented reality.