Mobile Surgical Navigation With Camera-Based Pointer Calibration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing surgical navigation systems are complex, expensive, and not easily accessible, particularly for surgical training, and require multiple components like infrared cameras, markers, and computers, which complicate setup and increase costs.
Innovation Solution
A surgical navigation system using a mobile electronic device, such as a smartphone or tablet, integrated with a pointer device and augmented reality markers, eliminates the need for external tracking systems by using camera-based geometric calculations to track the pointer and patient/simulator, simplifying setup and reducing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional optical navigation systems with infrared cameras and markers are used, then navigation precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the tracking function from complex optical systems and implements it using simple camera-based image recognition. The marker on the pointer and the anatomical model are captured by a standard camera, and their positions are determined through image processing algorithms, eliminating the need for infrared cameras and specialized tracking hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a simplified copy of the traditional navigation approach by replacing optical tracking with image-based tracking. Instead of using infrared markers that reflect specific wavelengths, the system uses visible light markers that are captured and processed by a standard camera, creating a functional copy that achieves similar navigation precision with much simpler hardware.
2Measurement precision
If traditional optical navigation systems are used, then navigation precision is improved, but cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive optical navigation hardware with inexpensive components. Instead of investing in infrared cameras, specialized tracking systems, and complex calibration equipment, the system uses a standard camera, simple markers, and open-source image processing libraries, dramatically reducing the cost barrier for surgical navigation.
3Reliability
If traditional navigation systems with multiple components are used, then navigation functionality is achieved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to complex setup
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the navigation system into independent functional modules: a camera for capturing images, a marker system for identification, and software for processing. This modular approach allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall setup process, as users only need to position the marker on the anatomical model and point the camera at it, rather than configuring complex optical tracking systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A surgical navigation system has a mobile electronic device transportable in an operator's hand, a marker detectable by a camera of the mobile electronic device, and suitable for being placed near a portion of a human body or near a three-dimensional physical reproduction that at least partially simulates an anatomical part of the human body. A pointer device is fixed to the mobile electronic device so that the pointer device is integral in rototranslation to the mobile electronic device and a pointing end of the pointer device is visible in a field of view of the camera during a surgical navigation and/or a calibration procedure. An electronic processing unit of the mobile electronic device performs geometric operations for defining a 3D scenario reference system associated with the marker in a 3D scenario space and calculates a three-dimensional position of the pointing end in the 3D scenario reference system.