Open AccessA 3-Dimmensional Magnetometer-Aided Low-Field Electromagnetic Tracking System for Clinical Surgery Applications
Author(s) -
Oluwole John Famoriji,
Thokozani Shongwe
Publication year - 2025
Publication title -
ieee access
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Magazines
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.587
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 2169-3536
DOI - 10.1109/access.2025.3572445
Subject(s) - aerospace , bioengineering , communication, networking and broadcast technologies , components, circuits, devices and systems , computing and processing , engineered materials, dielectrics and plasmas , engineering profession , fields, waves and electromagnetics , general topics for engineers , geoscience , nuclear engineering , photonics and electrooptics , power, energy and industry applications , robotics and control systems , signal processing and analysis , transportation
Magnetic field distortions caused by metal objects or other magnetic materials interferes with the accuracy of high-field electromagnetic (EM) tracking systems. Additionally, the effective range of the EM field or the working volume may be limited. In this study, a low-power generator and magnetic sensors exhibiting high-performance are introduced as a substitute for high-field electromagnetic tracking systems. To generate magnetic field gradients that uniquely encode each spatial point, magnetic fields are varied over three locations. These gradients are detected using millimeter-sized sensors with quality resolution, and are able to measure their local magnetic fields with accuracy. The sensors are integrated into surgical instruments (e.g. catheters and brain electrodes). By utilizing a low-field generator and low power consumption, the incorporation of electromagnetic systems in surgical rooms is significantly improved. Using advanced 3D-axis magnetoresistive sensors, the system achieves a mean absolute error of 3 mm at a distance of 42 cm from the field generator, thereby enabling precise and orientation-independent spatial encoding. Following sensor calibration procedure, localization along the Z-axis showed substantial improvement. The developed low-field EM tracking system, which does not require a line of sight is ideal for real-time navigation in complex clinical environments.