Surgical Robotics Technology

NDI Electromagnetic Tracking Solutions

NDI’s Aurora® Electromagnetic tracking technology uses an electromagnetic field to accurately localize and track OEM medical instruments in  3D space. It provides real-time tracking of microsensors that can be embedded into rigid and flexible OEM medical instruments such as ultrasound probes, endoscopes, catheters, guidewires or even at the tip of a needle. NDI’s Aurora® solution consists of four interconnected components: 1. Field Generator 2. Sensor Interface Unit 3. System Control Unit 4. Micro-sensors.

How NDI’s Aurora® Electromagnetic tracking technology works:

  1. The Field Generator emits a low intensity, varying electromagnetic field that establishes the measurement volume in which the sensors are tracked.
  2. The sensor is embedded in the OEM surgical instrument; this sensor acts as a localization point within a defined measurement volume (3D space).
  3. A reference sensor (point) is placed on the patient to establish a fixed/home location against which the instruments are tracked.
  4. When the sensor enters the electromagnetic field, a small current is induced inside it. The sensor relays the current to the Sensor Interface Unit (SIU), converting it into a digital signal.
  5. The digital signal is transmitted to the System Control Unit (SCU), which calculates the sensor’s location and orientation; the data is collected and communicated to the host’s application and output device through APIs, enabling instruments to be visualized relative to the patient’s image sets.

The real-time 3D tracking and navigation capabilities provided by the Aurora solution links static patient image sets with instruments’ dynamic movements.  It supports precise OEM surgical instrument navigation through complex anatomy for targeting small treatment areas.

To learn more about NDI’s Aurora® Electromagnetic Tracking Technology, please visit: https://www.ndigital.com/electromagnetic-tracking-technology/.

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