The system cart

The Aesculap OrthoPilot system cart

• At the top, the Polaris® optical instrument tracking system (a stereoscopic camera). Relative instrument positions are recorded at up to 30 Hz with a sub-millimetric accuracy, thanks to a software driver specially designed for the OrthoPilot.
• The top tray contains a keyboard, which is only used at set-up time to enter patient information. The PC system and all non-sterile equipment is stored within the cart.
• The bottom of the cart offers convenient storage for a two pedal footswitch, with which the surgeon has total control over the system during the whole procedure.

A screenshot

An example step of Aesculap's Knee Arthroplasty module

• The main are of the screen provides graphical guidance for the current step of the procedure (here the analysis of the knee's load line and range of motion).
• The visibility status of the actively tracked instruments is indicated at the top of the screen.
• On the lower left side, instrument positions within the field of view of the camera are continuously displayed.
• The left area provides an overview of the current procedure (completed steps).
• In the bottom and top-left corners, buttons (which can be activated using the footswitch or the mouse) allow easy navigation through the surgical procedure, and control of other options available to the surgeon.

Comments

A unique aspect of the OrthoPilot is its ease of use: for each surgical application, the procedure steps have been designed by Aesculap in parallel with all the orthopedic instrumentation (cutting guides, etc). The predefined steps reduce the interaction between the surgeon and the computer. All applications are built on many years of clinical experience.

The software platform I designed allowed improved graphics, unmatched performance and accuracy, increased ergonomy and ease of use, and unprecedented flexibility in customizing the procedure (to adopt preferences of clinical centers). Finally, it has provided a foundation for building and developing a line of orthopedic applications: the provided framework maximizes code re-use within and accross applications.

More information about the OrthoPilot product and applications is available on the official web site of the B|Braun Aesculap OrthoPilot - from which the two images above have been borrowed.