Moving an OR Table with gesture control via a structured light sensor

The purpose of this project was to create a Natural User Interface capable of controlling an Operating Room table remotely using only a structured light camera and the technician?s hands. Once the function is activated, the technician should be able to move the OR table to several different directions - Up, Down, Left, Right, etc. - at different speeds, all indicated by the position of his or her hands or gestures such as swiping right or left. The system should be safe for the patient and should not present false activation. The structured light camera used was the Microsoft Kinect, a set of sensors originally developed as a peripheral device for use with the Xbox 360 gaming console. Another aim of this project was to explore how this novel technology works, test its accuracy and provide a basis for further research and development in different areas of healthcare. The Microsoft Kinect Software Development Kit was used in parallel with Visual Studio C# in order to develop the project. Qualitative and quantitative test applications were built to verify the Kinect hardware and software performance and accuracy. Once this was done, ten prototypes for the Natural User Interface were generated as simulations. The OR table to be controlled by the final prototype was a Trumpf 7500. The communication was established via TCP/IP through an executable file which allowed sending position commands but no exact coordinates. Four final prototypes conceived with the help of characteristics and algorithms explored in the simulation phase were created to move the OR table. Several people from different occupational backgrounds were asked to try each of the four different prototypes, move the table several times, and give feedback by filling in a questionnaire in which they had to describe their experience with each prototype. The public response was good; people seemed interested in the concept. The prototypes proved that a further revision and improvement of the best version could lead to the marketing and distribution of this new product. Based on this feedback and a discussion with the OR Table distributor further steps for going from a general prototype to an actual plug and play functional device will be followed as future workThe purpose of this project was to create a Natural User Interface capable of controlling an Operating Room table remotely using only a structured light camera and the technician's hands. Once the function is activated, the technician should be able to move the OR table to several different directions - Up, Down, Left, Right, etc. - at different speeds, all indicated by the position of his or her hands or gestures such as swiping right or left. The system should be safe for the patient and should not present false activation. The structured light camera used was the Microsoft Kinect, a set of sensors originally developed as a peripheral device for use with the Xbox 360 gaming console. Another aim of this project was to explore how this novel technology works, test its accuracy and provide a basis for further research and development in different areas of healthcare. The Microsoft Kinect Software Development Kit was used in parallel with Visual Studio C# in order to develop the project. Qualitative and quantitative test applications were built to verify the Kinect hardware and software performance and accuracy. Once this was done, ten prototypes for the Natural User Interface were generated as simulations. The OR table to be controlled by the final prototype was a Trumpf 7500. The communication was established via TCP/IP through an executable file which allowed sending position commands but no exact coordinates. Four final prototypes conceived with the help of characteristics and algorithms explored in the simulation phase were created to move the OR table. Several people from different occupational backgrounds were asked to try each of the four different prototypes, move the table several times, and give feedback by filling in a questionnaire in which they had to describe their experience with each prototype. The public response was good; people seemed interested in the concept. The prototypes proved that a further revision and improvement of the best version could lead to the marketing and distribution of this new product. Based on this feedback and a discussion with the OR Table distributor further steps for going from a general prototype to an actual plug and play functional device will be followed as future wor