Simulation Interface for Gesture-Based Remote Control of a Surgical Lighting Arm

Asepsis preservation is compulsory in operating rooms (ORs) for avoiding the spread of hospital-acquired diseases. It is enforced nowadays by drastic measures regulating the use of sterile devices by non-sterile staff and vice versa. Contact less computer vision-based interfaces may overcome such limitations. Our works relates to the development of an image processing chain aiming at giving surgeons remote control over OR equipment. In this paper, we introduce a simulation of a gesture-based remote control interface intended for ORs. The software processing chain and the choices made for each of its steps are described, and its performance is quantified. A virtual scene including a robotic lighting support is introduced. A graphical interface enables the coupling of both processing chain and virtual scene, enabling the user to control the virtual lighting support by performing various hand postures. Functionalities include 3-dimensional displacements, control of the lighting intensity and task-specific pre-programmed movements.