Improving surgical outcomes with an augmented reality laser projection system

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This research will use a laser projection augmented reality system in the operating room to improve computer-assisted surgery outcomes. This work has the potential to provide more accurate and easier tool guidance, shorter operating times, and detection of a potentially dangerous misalignment between the surgical plan on the computer and the patient position in the operating room. We will target computer-assisted orthopaedic surgery in the development and validatation of the proposed research: The alignment of the patient's location on the operating table to the virtual surgical plan will be computed more reliably than current practice. Potentially dangerous misalignments will be detected through an interface that permits intuitive visual confirmation of the alignment. The distribution of uncertainty in the alignment will be projected onto the patient for use by the surgeon.  And the surgeons will be provided with an easier-to-use interface to guide their tools. The laser projection system will be used by two MSc students, one PhD student, and one postdoctoral fellow.  These people will perform leading edge research in augmented reality with direct applications in clinical practice, providing them with interdisciplinary skills through interactions with our surgical colleagues.  There is a critical shortage of such highly qualified people in Canada. We expect that our research will lead to novel guidance technology in computer-assisted surgery.  Canadian companies will benefit from this research, including Traxtal Technologies (Toronto, Ontario), the manufacturer of the laser projection system, and Northern Digital (Waterloo, Ontario), a producer of surgical tool tracking equipment.