Augmented Reality Display for Minimally Invasive Surgery

Unmet Need
The da Vinci surgical system is a telerobotic tool designed to facilitate complex surgery using a minimally invasive approach. Da Vinci machines have helped to perform millions of successful procedures in the last decade. Surgery using a da Vinci robot requires an assistant to adjust tools by using visual feedback via direct view of the patient’s exterior and a supplementary endoscope video. It is difficult to mentally register the internal positions of these instruments, and the assistant often has to blindly control the tool until it becomes visible in the endoscope field of view. This procedure is cumbersome, time-wasting, and can lead to complications during the procedure.

Technology Overview
The proposed software seeks to enhance the ergonomics and situational awareness of assistants during surgical procedures that utilize the da Vinci system. The technology would integrate augmented reality using an optical see-through head mounted display (OST-HMD) that would be used with the da Vinci robot. This would provide “x ray vision” of the instruments and endoscope field of view inside the patients using visualization software, eliminating the need for mental mapping of their positions. This is a cost and time-effective solution that will improve efficacy of surgeries conducted with the da Vinci machine

Stage of Development
A working prototype has been produced and detailed in published papers

 

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