Eye-Tracking Hybrid Control for Immersive Surgical Consoles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medical robotic systems face challenges in providing an immersive environment for operators, as cluttered interfaces can diminish the sense of immersion, affecting the speed, safety, and success of surgical procedures.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid control system using eye tracking to activate controls on a display, followed by manual input adjustments, ensuring an immersive environment while allowing precise control adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional input devices (buttons, keyboards, mice) are provided on the surgeon's console, then the operator can access control functions, but the interface becomes cluttered and the sense of immersion is diminished
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the input function from physical buttons and keyboards, relocating it to the display surface itself through touch-sensitive or gaze-activated controls. This removes the clutter of separate input devices while maintaining full control functionality, as the display becomes both the information presentation medium and the control interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the display function and input function into a single integrated interface. The display surface incorporates sensing capabilities (touch, proximity, or eye tracking) that allow it to detect user input directly where information is presented, eliminating the need for separate control devices and reducing interface clutter.
2Adaptability or versatility
If more control options and information are displayed on the console, then the operator has better access to functions, but the immersive environment is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic interface that adapts its content and control options based on the operator's needs and context. Information and controls are presented on-demand rather than all at once, allowing the interface to provide comprehensive functionality when needed while maintaining a clean, immersive display during surgical procedures. The interface can be customized and reconfigured without physical changes.
3Ease of operation
If the surgeon looks at the display frequently to access controls, then control functions are available, but eye strain increases and sense of presence decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces eye tracking technology as an intermediary between the surgeon's natural gaze and the control system. The eye tracker captures subtle eye movements and gaze direction, translating them into control inputs without requiring the surgeon to deliberately shift attention to control elements. This allows control access through natural viewing behavior, reducing the need for deliberate display engagement and minimizing eye strain.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical input mechanisms (buttons, mice requiring deliberate hand movement) with an optical sensing system that detects eye movements. This substitution allows control input through natural, subconscious eye movements rather than requiring deliberate attention shifts to control interfaces, reducing cognitive load and eye strain while maintaining control accessibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A console for a medical includes a display, an eye tracking input module, a second input module, and one or more processors coupled to the display, the eye tracking input module, and the second input module. The one or more processors is configured to perform operations including receiving a first user input from the eye tracking input module; determining, based on the first user input, whether a gaze of a user is directed toward an activation region of the display; in response to determining that the gaze of the user is directed toward the activation region, displaying, via the display, a control; receiving a second user input from the second input module; and adjusting the control based on the second user input.