See-through Head-mounted Display for Medical Procedure Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
During medical procedures, healthcare professionals lack real-time accurate information about the location of nerves and organs relative to medical devices, leading to potential damage due to reliance on experience and memory rather than precise visual feedback.
Innovation Solution
A see-through head-mounted display system that overlays feedback information, including graphical representations of out-of-sight objects, onto the user's field of view, using sensors and data storage to provide supplemental information on the location, shape, size, and orientation of relevant objects during medical procedures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a surgeon relies on experience and memory to perform medical procedures, then the device complexity is low, but the measurement precision of organ location and distance to surgical tools is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates virtual copies of organs and surgical tools that are superimposed onto the surgeon's real-world view through the head-mounted display. These graphical representations replicate the actual positions, shapes, and orientations of physical objects, allowing the surgeon to see both real and virtual elements simultaneously for enhanced spatial awareness and measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The head-mounted display acts as an intermediary device between the surgical field and the surgeon's perception. It processes data from sensors tracking organ and tool positions, then presents this information as visual overlays that bridge the gap between the surgeon's limited direct vision and the complete spatial information needed for precise measurement and navigation.
2Measurement precision
If a head mounted display overlays feedback information in the user's field of view, then the measurement precision of organ location is improved, but the ease of operation is reduced due to potential visual interference
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different display qualities and information densities to different regions of the user's field of view. Critical measurement information such as organ locations and distance markers are displayed with high visibility in specific zones, while other areas maintain natural visual transparency. The display adapts its information presentation based on the local context and the user's current focus area, ensuring that precision information is provided without uniformly obstructing the entire visual field.
3Loss of information
If graphical information represents out-of-sight objects in their actual location, then the loss of information about hidden objects is reduced, but the device complexity increases due to rendering and tracking requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates virtual graphical copies of objects that are outside the user's direct line of sight and renders them at their actual spatial locations within the field of view. These virtual representations include organs, surgical tools, and other relevant objects, allowing the user to perceive hidden elements without physically turning or moving to locate them, thereby reducing information loss about the surgical environment.
4Productivity
If the head mounted display provides real-time feedback information, then the productivity of the medical procedure is improved through better awareness, but the use of energy increases due to continuous display updates
Solution Approach 1:
The system updates the displayed feedback information at periodic intervals rather than continuously, synchronizing refresh rates with the cadence of the medical procedure. Critical positional information is updated frequently to maintain accuracy, while less dynamic elements are refreshed at lower frequencies, reducing overall energy consumption while preserving procedural efficiency and real-time awareness.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system including a head mounted display for displaying information to a user when performing a medical procedure is described. A user wearing the head mounted display device can view objects, while simultaneously receiving and displaying feedback information on a procedure being performed. Text and graphical information is presented in a position on the head mounted display so that the object or a part of an object out of the line of sight appears in the same location and with the same shape, size and orientation as if the object or part of an object were visible to the user.