Augmented Reality Headset for Radiation Therapy Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current radiation therapy and particle beam treatment systems require technicians to constantly switch between the treatment room and a separate control room, leading to inefficiencies in patient positioning and treatment planning due to the lack of real-time, immersive medical information display.
Innovation Solution
A wearable augmented reality device, such as virtual reality glasses or a holographic visor, that senses the 3D space, tracks the operator's position, and projects real-time images to assist in patient setup, collision detection, and treatment planning, providing visual cues for precise alignment and dose delivery directly in the treatment room.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the control for the treatment machine is located in a separate control room, then the technician can operate the treatment machine, but the technician cannot view real-time treatment information and patient positioning details directly at the treatment site
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary display system (projection system, head-mounted display, or transparent display) that mediates between the control room and treatment room. This intermediary allows real-time transmission of treatment information, patient positioning data, and beam path visualizations directly to the technician's viewpoint, eliminating the need for physical proximity to the treatment machine while maintaining full information accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical requirement of physical presence in the treatment room with optical/electromagnetic information transmission systems. Instead of the technician needing to be mechanically positioned next to the treatment machine to view information, the system uses projections, holograms, or augmented reality overlays to transmit visual information, substituting physical movement with information transmission.
2Measurement precision
If the technician views treatment information on a screen in the control room, then the information can be displayed, but the technician cannot see the patient and treatment machine alignment in real-time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional screen displays to three-dimensional spatial information presentation. By projecting treatment information, beam paths, and patient anatomy onto three-dimensional spaces (using projection systems, holograms, or augmented reality overlays), the technician can perceive depth and spatial relationships directly, enabling real-time verification of patient positioning accuracy and beam alignment without leaving the control room.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent embeds multiple levels of information display within each other. The technician can view patient anatomy, treatment beam paths, positioning markers, and alignment information simultaneously in nested layers of visual information. This allows comprehensive monitoring of patient positioning and treatment parameters without requiring the technician to switch between different displays or physical locations.
3Productivity
If the technician constantly switches between the treatment room and control room, then all information can be accessed, but patient positioning efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functional spaces of the control room and treatment room by overlaying treatment information, patient data, and beam path visualizations directly onto the technician's field of view. This consolidation allows the technician to access all necessary information (treatment parameters, patient positioning, beam alignment) simultaneously in a single location, eliminating the need to physically switch between rooms and maximizing patient positioning efficiency.
4Manufacturing precision
If traditional display screens are used in the control room, then treatment information can be viewed, but the technician cannot visualize the treatment beam path and patient anatomy in three-dimensional space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms flat two-dimensional screens into three-dimensional spatial displays. By projecting treatment beam paths, patient anatomy, and positioning information onto three-dimensional spaces (using projection systems, holograms, or augmented reality overlays), the system preserves complete spatial relationship information while presenting it in an immersive format that enables precise visualization of beam trajectories and anatomical structures.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for use in a medical process that involves a particle accelerator, includes: a processing unit configured to obtain treatment plan information, obtain a viewing direction of a user of the apparatus, and process the treatment plan information based on the viewing direction of the user of the apparatus to create a graphical representation of the treatment plan information for presentation to the user of the apparatus; and a screen for displaying the graphical representation.