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The Augmented Anesthesia Machine

Figure 1: Artists rendering of the proposed augmented anesthesia machine.

Overview

To understand how to use anesthesia machines, anesthesiology students first use an online simulation called the Virtual Anesthesia Machine (VAM), shown below in figure 2. Then they move on to practicing with a real machine, shown below in figure 3. However, there is some learning disconnect between the simulation and the real machine. Components are located in different places, and the student can no longer visualize the gas particles and the mechanics of the machine. We propose to augment the anesthesia machine using mixed reality techniques to provide an in situ visualization of the simulation components. The visualization, displayed on a tracked tablet pc, is laid over a detailed model of the real machine as seen in figure 1. The student can move around freely and interact with the real machine directly. The student’s interaction with the real machine updates the visualization of the simulation on the tablet. The augmented anesthesia machine will hopefully bridge the learning gap between the VAM and the real anesthesia machine. Added as an additional learning module, it will help to train anesthesiology students more quickly and more effectively than before.

Approach

• Track the real machine using several web cameras and common computer vision techniques.
• Track the tablet using IR tracking cameras for position and an Inertiacube2 for orientation.
• Combine all the tracking information remotely and send it to the tablet pc.
• The student can hold the tablet as shown and view the overlaid simulation from any perspective.
• The student can interact naturally with the real machine, and the visualization on the tablet will update accordingly.
• Bridges the learning gap between the VAM and the real machine.

Team Members

Benjamin Lok, PhD
John Quarles, Graduate Student

Figure 2: The Virtual Anesthesia Machine Simulation

Figure 3: The real anesthesia machine.