Real-Time Hand Tracking for Minimally Invasive Surgery Teaching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Minimally invasive surgery teaching methods are less effective than traditional surgery, with challenges in visual communication of anatomical structures and increased operative times due to limited ability to develop psychomotor skills and intraoperative guidance.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method using real-time tracking of a teaching surgeon's hand movements to overlay visual representations on endoscopic images, allowing for intuitive gesture-based instruction during minimally invasive procedures, enhancing the learning experience for the learning surgeon.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If conventional teaching methods with verbal communication are used in minimally invasive surgery, then the teaching surgeon can provide instructions, but the learning surgeon cannot visually identify anatomical structures accurately
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a virtual copy of the teaching surgeon's hand and overlays it onto the endoscopic image field. This virtual hand replica allows the teaching surgeon to point at and indicate anatomical structures visually within the same field of view that the learning surgeon is observing, enabling accurate visual communication without losing anatomical context.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a computer vision system and augmented reality display as an intermediary between the teaching surgeon and learning surgeon. This intermediary captures the teaching surgeon's hand movements, processes them to create a virtual representation, and displays it overlaid on the endoscopic images, facilitating visual communication of anatomical structures.
2Reliability
If more training time is provided for psychomotor skills acquisition, then surgical skill improves, but operative time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables preliminary visual guidance during the actual surgery by overlaying the teaching surgeon's hand movements in real-time. This allows the learning surgeon to receive immediate visual feedback and correction during the procedure itself, rather than requiring extensive preliminary training outside the operating room, thereby reducing total time investment while maintaining skill acquisition.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides real-time visual feedback to the learning surgeon by displaying the teaching surgeon's hand movements overlaid on the endoscopic images. This immediate feedback mechanism allows the learning surgeon to correct techniques and improve psychomotor skills during the actual procedure, reducing the need for repeated practice and extending training beyond the operating room.
3Ease of operation
If virtual reality simulators are used for training, then psychomotor skills can be developed, but the realism and applicability to actual intraoperative conditions is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the benefits of virtual reality simulation with the realism of actual surgery by overlaying a virtual representation of the teaching surgeon's hand onto the real endoscopic images during the actual procedure. This combination maintains the safety and repeatability of simulation while providing the authentic visual context and tactile feedback of real surgery, thereby improving transferability of skills.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a computer implemented method for facilitating a teaching surgeon to teach or assist a learning surgeon in minimally invasive interventions using a surgical instrument including displaying endoscopic images of an intervention site in real time on a display device, said endoscopic images being captured using a camera associated with an endoscopic instrument, and tracking a movement of one or both hands of said teaching surgeon and/or a device held by said teaching surgeon, using a real-time tracking apparatus, wherein said real-time tracking apparatus comprises a tracking system and a computing device, wherein said tracking of said movement comprises recording a sequence of tracking information of one or both hands of said teaching surgeon and/or the device held by said teaching surgeon.