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smARtsKin

Investigators

Juergen Meyer, PhD

Summary

Exact patient positioning in radiotherapy is crucial for accurate targeting of tumors and sparing of organs-at-risk. The aim of this project is to develop a camera based guidance system for patient positioning and monitoring. The so-called smARtsKin system is also capable of displaying patient support devices to check for potential collisions with the linear accelerator prior to treatment as well as continuously monitoring the patient’s position and breathing and therefore can considerably improve patient safety.

The heart of the approach is based on augmented reality (AR) technology. The smARtsKin system superimposes relevant patient contours onto real-time camera feeds of the patient during set-up and treatment to visualize differences between the planned treatment position and the current position of the patient. Using this approach, patient misalignment and deformations as well as miss-positioned immobilization devices can be detected and corrected either prior to corrections based on on-board volumetric imaging or during treatment if continuous monitoring indicates patient movement. A prototype of the system has been tested and improvements such as the integration of real-time surface measurements with the infrared Kinect camera are work in progress.

Researchers

James Eagle
Mochamad Prananda
Teyu Chou
Raphael Grasset
Adrian Clark
James Talbot
Andreas Mueller

Citations

J Eagle, XXX, MDPH409 project report, 2012

J Eagle, Integration of a 3D Vision System into an Augmented Reality environment, MDPH project report, 2011/12

T Chyou,  Patient setup guidance and position monitoring in radiotherapy using 3D vision, MSc thesis, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, 2011 (pdf)

T Chyou, A Clark and J Meyer, ‘A 3D vision approach for correction of patient pose in radiotherapy ’, at Engineering and Physical Sciences in Medicine and the Australian Biomedical Engineering Conference (EPSM ABEC 2011), 14-18 August 2011, Darwin, Australia

A Mueller, Visualisation of radiation treatment parameters in an Augmented Reality environment, BSc(Hons) project, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, 2009

J Talbot, J Meyer, R Watts and R Grasset, “An Augmented Reality Application for Patient Positioning and Monitoring in Radiotherapy,” in Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering World Congress 2009, Munich, Germany, 2009

J Talbot, R Grasset, J Meyer, R Watts,”Augmented reality in radiotherapy: a practical application
for patient set-up”, Presented at: New Zealand Physics and Engineering in Medicine conference
(NZPEM) 2009, Auckland, New Zealand, August 20.-21, 2009

J Talbot, J Meyer, R Watts and R Grasset, “A method for patient set-up guidance in radiotherapy using Augmented Reality,” Australasian Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine, 32, 203-211 (2009)

J Talbot, A Patient Position Guidance System in Radiotherapy Using Augmented Reality, MSc
thesis, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, 2009 (pdf)

J Talbot, J Meyer, R Watts and R Grasset, A patient position guidance system in radiation therapy using augmented reality, presented at the Image and Vision Computing New Zealand, 2008. IVCNZ 2008. 23rd International Conference, 2008, pp. 1-5.

J Talbot, J Meyer, R Watts and R Grasset, A Patient Position Guidance System in Radiation
Therapy Using Augmented Reality, presented at the Engineering and Physical Sciences in Medicine and the Australian Biomedical Engineering Conference (EPSM ABEC 2008), Christchurch, New Zealand, 2008, pp. 28.