Touch-Free Ablator Workstation Control via Depth Sensors
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Solution Overview
Problem
In an operating room, physicians need to maintain sterility and cannot physically interact with computer devices, necessitating a touch-free method to operate equipment like ablator workstations.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing depth sensors to detect movements, deduce gestures, and filter them for authorization, combined with voice recognition, allowing users to perform tasks on ablator workstations without physical contact, using a motion detection software module and client communication module to execute commands based on valid gestures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a physician physically accesses a computer for assistance during surgery, then the physician can perform tasks using computer applications, but the physician cannot maintain sterility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical contact with computer devices (keyboard, mouse, screen) with a gesture recognition system using depth sensors. The physician's gestures are captured by depth sensors and translated into computer commands, eliminating the need for physical contact while maintaining operational capability. This substitution resolves the contradiction by allowing task execution without compromising sterility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary system consisting of depth sensors, motion software modules, and client software modules that mediate between the physician's gestures and the computer applications. This intermediary layer translates gestures into commands, enabling the physician to operate the workstation without direct physical contact, thus maintaining sterility while ensuring ease of operation.
2Reliability
If touch-free operation is implemented using depth sensors and gesture recognition, then sterility is maintained, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the touch-free operation system into distinct functional modules: depth sensor hardware, motion software module for gesture detection, filtering module for gesture validation, and client software module for task execution. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and simplifies the overall system architecture by distributing functionality across modular units, thereby managing complexity while maintaining sterility.
3Reliability
If gesture filtering and authorization are implemented, then unauthorized access is prevented, but the operation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-defining valid gestures and their associated commands in the client software module. The filtering module compares detected gestures against this pre-established set of valid gestures, enabling rapid validation without complex real-time analysis. This preliminary preparation of gesture definitions and validation rules reduces the time required for authorization while maintaining security against unauthorized access.
Data Source
AI summary
An inventive system and method for touch free operation of an ablation workstation is presented. The system can comprise a depth sensor for detecting a movement, motion software to receive the detected movement from the depth sensor, deduce a gesture based on the detected movement, and filter the gesture to accept an applicable gesture, and client software to receive the applicable gesture at a client computer in an ablation workstation for performing a task in accordance with client logic based on the applicable gesture. The system can also comprise hardware for making the detected movement an applicable gesture. The system can also comprise voice recognition providing voice input for enabling the client to perform the task based on the voice input in conjunction with the applicable gesture. The applicable gesture can be a movement authorized using facial recognition.