Surgeons of the future might use a system that recognizes hand gestures as commands to control a robotic scrub nurse or tell a computer to display medical images of the patient during an operation. Both the hand-gesture recognition and robotic nurse innovations might help to reduce the length of surgeries and the potential for infection, researchers from Purdue University mentioned. The vision-based hand gesture recognition technology could have other applications, including the coordination of emergency response activities during disasters.
Surgeons routinely need to review medical images and records during surgery, but stepping away from the operating table and touching a keyboard and mouse can delay the surgery and increase the risk of spreading infection-causing bacteria. The new approach is a system that uses a camera and specialized algorithms to recognize hand gestures as commands to instruct a computer or robot. At the same time, a robotic scrub nurse represents a potential new tool that might improve operating-room efficiency.
More information:
http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2011/110203WachsGestures.html
More information:
http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2011/110203WachsGestures.html