Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 30, 2025
Technical Approach for Infrared Tracking for Soft Tissue Navigation with a Holographic Head-Mounted Display and Preclinical Validation
Published on: September 2, 2025
Fast, robust, and accurate monocular peer-to-peer tracking for surgical navigation
Simon Strzeletz1, Simon Hazubski2, José-Luis Moctezuma3
1Department of Electrical Engineering, Medical Engineering and Computer Science, Offenburg University, Badstraße 24, 77652, Offenburg, Germany. simon.strzeletz@hs-offenburg.de.
Purpose:
This work presents a new monocular peer-to-peer tracking concept overcoming the distinction between tracking tools and tracked tools for optical navigation systems. A marker model concept based on marker triplets combined with a fast and robust algorithm for assigning image feature points to the corresponding markers of the tracker is introduced. Also included is a new and fast algorithm for pose estimation.
Methods:
A peer-to-peer tracker consists of seven markers, which can be tracked by other peers, and one camera which is used to track the position and orientation of other peers. The special marker layout enables a fast and robust algorithm for assigning image feature points to the correct markers. The iterative pose estimation algorithm is based on point-to-line matching with Lagrange-Newton optimization and does not rely on initial guesses. Uniformly distributed quaternions in 4D (the vertices of a hexacosichora) are used as starting points and always provide the global minimum.
Results:
Experiments have shown that the marker assignment algorithm robustly assigns image feature points to the correct markers even under challenging conditions. The pose estimation algorithm works fast, robustly and always finds the correct pose of the trackers. Image processing, marker assignment, and pose estimation for two trackers are handled in less than 18 ms on an Intel i7-6700 desktop computer at 3.4 GHz.
Conclusion:
The new peer-to-peer tracking concept is a valuable approach to a decentralized navigation system that offers more freedom in the operating room while providing accurate, fast, and robust results.
