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Updated: Jun 18, 2026
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Technical Approach for Infrared Tracking for Soft Tissue Navigation with a Holographic Head-Mounted Display and Preclinical Validation
Published on: September 2, 2025
Development of an accuracy assessment phantom for surgical navigators
Tapani Koivukangas1, Jani Katisko, Kalervo Nevala
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland. tapani.koivukangas@gmail.com
Summary
A new calibration phantom was designed to test surgical navigator accuracy in hospitals. The phantom confirmed the navigator
Area of Science:
- Medical instrumentation
- Surgical navigation systems
- Accuracy assessment
Background:
- Surgical navigation systems (SNS) enhance surgical precision.
- Accurate calibration is crucial for SNS performance in clinical settings.
- Existing calibration methods may not be optimal for hospital environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and validate a calibration phantom for surgical navigators.
- To assess the accuracy of an optical tracking surgical navigator in a hospital setting.
- To establish a reliable accuracy assessment protocol.
Main Methods:
- Designed a novel calibration phantom with sufficient calibration points.
- Utilized the phantom with an accuracy assessment protocol at Oulu University Hospital.
- Measured distances using the surgical navigator and compared them to known phantom coordinates.
Main Results:
- The designed phantom met all design criteria and was user-friendly.
- The surgical navigator's mean error was within the manufacturer's 1.00 mm specification.
- Accuracy errors increased with distance from the phantom's center.
Conclusions:
- The developed phantom and protocol are suitable for assessing surgical navigator accuracy in hospitals.
- The study validates the performance of the optical tracking modality of the specific surgical navigator.
- This method provides a reliable means for ongoing quality control of surgical navigation systems.
