Intelligent augmented reality tutoring for physical tasks with medical professionals

Abstract

Percutaneous radiology procedures often require the repeated use of medical radiation in the form of computed tomography (CT) scanning, to demonstrate the position of the needle in the underlying tissues. The angle of the insertion and the distance travelled by the needle inside the patient play a major role in successful procedures, and must be estimated by the practitioner and confirmed periodically by the use of the scanner. Junior radiology trainees, who are already highly trained professionals, currently learn this task “on-the-job” by performing the procedures on real patients with varying levels of guidance. Therefore, we present a novel Augmented Reality (AR)-based system that provides multiple layers of intuitive and adaptive feedback to assist junior radiologists in achieving competency in image-guided procedures.