Computer aided surgery aims to improve surgical outcomes with computer guidance. Navigated Freehand bone Cutting (NFC) takes this further by eliminating the need for cumbersome mechanical jigs, while decreasing cutting time and complexity. To reduce the footprint of the NFC tracking system (currently NDI Polaris) we designed and implemented “On-Tool Tracking” (OTT), a novel miniaturized tracking system that mounts onto the cutting instruments (Fig. 1). This study investigates the accuracy of the 3D-measurements of the OTT system. OTT was designed using off-the-shelf components to communicate as a wireless device. OTT consists of the following: Stereo camera rig (each camera transmits images to the PC for processing at 30fps); pico-projector (presents visual information to the user); power-tool motor controller (stops the motor if the user deviates from the desired plan); and touch-screen user interface. OTT communicates with a main PC using four wireless modules, based on three different technologies: Wi-Fi, Xbee, and UWB-USB. OTT was secured on the upper actuator of a 5-axis Materials Testing Station (MTS-Systems), while the tracked, active wireless reference frame (RF) was locked in the lower actuator(s) (Fig. 2). The origin of OTT's camera system was aligned with the main vertical axis of the MTS and the RF origin set perpendicular to the cameras, with its origin coinciding with the same main vertical axis. Using the MTS readings as reference (accuracy: 0.01mm/0.01º) for comparison, OTT software acquired multiple static measurements of the camera-rig vs. the RF pose at each location. X-translations and roll-angles were actuated by the MTS hydraulics; pitch and Y-translation were applied manually, while yaw was kept constant (0º).Introduction
Materials and Methods
Navigated freehand cutting (NFC) technology simplifies bone cutting in laboratory trials by directly navigating implants and power tools [1]. Experiments showed that NFC bone cutting was faster than with conventional jigs. However, most delays occurred at the start of each cut [2]. Therefore, we further reduced starting times and gained more accuracy with a NaviPen and a ‘smart’ NaviPrinter [3]. There were used to physically mark a line on the bone surface indicating where each cut should start. The OTM is a standalone wireless module composed of three main parts: a small laser projector, electronics for control and communication (WiFi), and a tracking frame. It is navigated in real-time with a Polaris tracker. Software routines on a proprietary NFC system compute its relative position to the target and dynamically re-calculate the image parameters. Such parameters are sent to the OTM for processing, image generation, and projection Introduction
Materials & Methods
