Respiratory motion tracking using the kinect camera

Respiratory motion presents a challenge in developing techniques to increase the accuracy of image acquisition or guided interventions in abdominal and thoracic organs. The use of distance cameras, such as that from Vision RT Ltd has been considered as a surrogate for respiratory motion tracking in external beam radiotherapy that does not require the use of markers. However, it is very costly and thus this project suggests using the Microsoft Xbox Kinect™ for tracking respiratory motion. The aim of the project is to utilize the Kinect camera which for instance, can be put inside the CT scanner room in the hospital. This system records the 3D motion data and further analyses the consistency of the respiratory motion. A Graphical User Interface (GUI) was developed to display the breathing signal and statistics of the data. This respiratory motion tracking system will facilitate clinicians in choosing a suitable treatment option for lung cancer patients with less cost.