Surgical Hub Interactive Overlays for Multi-User Error Alerts

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing augmented reality systems in surgery lack interactive data overlays that provide real-time alerts based on detected errors exceeding a risk level threshold, failing to enhance the surgical experience with comprehensive sensory feedback.

Innovation Solution

A surgical system with a surgical hub that receives multiple data streams and communicates them to an augmented reality display device, allowing customized interactive overlays for users, including visual, auditory, haptic, and olfactory feedback, with error alerts based on risk thresholds.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If augmented reality systems display multiple data streams to multiple users, then information completeness is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation completenessVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments information delivery by creating user-specific interactive overlays tailored to individual users' roles and needs. Each user receives customized data streams and alerts relevant to their specific function, rather than broadcasting all information to all users. This segmentation reduces the complexity each user must manage while maintaining overall information completeness across the surgical team.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The surgical hub serves as a universal platform that manages multiple data streams from various surgical instruments and delivers customized information to multiple different users simultaneously. This multi-functional hub consolidates the complexity of managing multiple users and data sources into a single system, improving information completeness without proportionally increasing individual device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If real-time error alerts with risk thresholds are implemented, then surgical safety is improved, but processing requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesurgical safetyVSAvoidprocessing requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system establishes predetermined risk level thresholds for different types of errors and conditions before the surgical procedure begins. These thresholds are pre-configured based on surgical guidelines and safety protocols, allowing the system to quickly compare real-time data against predefined criteria rather than performing complex real-time analysis. This preliminary setup improves surgical safety through rapid error detection while minimizing processing requirements during the actual surgery.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of operation

If customized interactive overlays are provided for different users, then user-specific information delivery is improved, but data management complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser-specific information deliveryVSAvoiddata management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality by customizing the information overlay for each specific user based on their role, experience level, and immediate needs. Each user receives information with the appropriate level of detail and type relevant to their local context in the surgical procedure. This targeted approach improves ease of operation for each user while the surgical hub automatically manages the underlying data complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP4128259B1Anticipation of interactive utilization of common data overlays by different users
Publication Date: 2025.07.30 CILAG GMBH INTERNATIONAL
  • EP4128259B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4128259B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4128259B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Apparatuses, systems, and methods for displaying interactive overlays for multiple users are disclosed herein. In some aspects, a system for displaying interactive overlays for multiple users can include a surgical hub configured to receive a plurality of data streams related to a surgical procedure and a first augmented reality display device communicably coupled to the surgical hub. In one aspect, the first augment reality display device is linked to a first user. In another aspect, the first augmented reality display device displays a first interactive overlay customized for the first user based on at least one of the plurality of data streams.