Optical Surgical Navigation: A Promising Low-cost Alternative

Area of Science:

• Medical technology
• Computer vision
• Surgical navigation

Background:

• Current computer-assisted surgery relies on expensive infrared cameras.
• Low-cost optical tracking offers an alternative but faces inconsistencies due to operating room conditions and patient anatomy.
• Evaluating factors affecting tracking accuracy is crucial for reliable low-cost systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate fiducial ArUco markers as a cost-effective alternative for optical tracking in computer-assisted surgery.
• To assess the impact of environmental variables on ArUco marker tracking accuracy.
• To develop and validate a ground truth testing platform for real-time positional measurement.

Main Methods:

• Designed a ground truth testing platform to measure real-time positional differences.
• Investigated the effects of warping, line-of-sight obstruction, and operating room lighting on ArUco marker tracking.
• Isolated and quantified modifications to the physical marker and X-Y platform environment.

Main Results:

• ArUco markers demonstrate potential as a low-cost solution for optical tracking in surgical navigation.
• The study identified key environmental factors influencing marker tracking performance.
• The developed testing platform enables precise evaluation of tracking accuracy.

Conclusions:

• The proposed navigation system using ArUco markers shows promise for computer-navigated surgery.
• Further research will focus on image processing techniques to enhance optical marker tracking accuracy.
• Low-cost optical tracking solutions can improve accessibility of advanced surgical technologies.