Using Gesture and Speech to Control Surgical Lighting Systems: Mixed Methods Study

Surgical lighting systems (SLSs) provide optimal lighting conditions for operating room personnel. Current systems are mainly adjusted by hand; surgeons either accommodate the light themselves or communicate their requirements to an assistant to ensure optimal surgical conditions. This poses challenges to maintaining sterility, proper accessibility, and illumination and can lead to potential collision problems. Furthermore, the personnel operating the light may not have deep medical knowledge or equipment expertise.

This paper introduces a touch-free interaction concept for controlling an SLS using speech and gestures.

We used an iterative, user-centered design approach with participatory design sessions. This process involved conducting a literature review, several observations of actual surgical sites, and engaging stakeholders through interviews and focus groups. In addition, we carried out 2 user studies: one in a virtual reality setup and another in a living laboratory environment.

Our findings indicate that our interaction concept is a viable alternative for controlling an SLS. Despite some technical limitations, surgical experts found the system intuitive and useful, recognizing the significant potential for touch-free lighting adjustments in the operating room. The combination of speech and gesture modalities was seen as helpful and even necessary, with some interactions better suited to one modality over the other. Offering both modalities for each interaction provided greater flexibility.

Our findings suggest that our proposed touch-free interaction concept can enhance surgical conditions and has the potential to replace traditional adjustment.