Validation of Markerless Motion Tracking for Quantification of Surgical Skills

Abstract

The quantification of surgical skills is critically important not only for assessing the effectiveness of surgical training, but also for individualized optimization of performance of skilled surgeons. Motion tracking of hand movements in simulated surgery scenarios is emerging as a promising tool to extract motion features to quantify surgical skill. As traditional motion tracking systems require wearing physical markers which can restrict natural movement or cause discomfort, markerless motion tracking systems are a potential avenue for tracking hand motion during simulated or real surgeries. Our project develops an algorithm utilizing Google’s MediaPipe for markerless hand motion tracking in real time. The markerless system will be validated against a marker based on simulated surgeries in a surgical setting. Data will be collected from the markerless system through MediaPipe using a GoPro and from the marker based system through PhaseSpace using 10 infrared cameras, 10 markers for each finger and 10 sensors. For data analysis and comparison, marker based and markerless data of the same finger will be plotted against each other. The mean error will be calculated to validate the tracking accuracy of the system/algorithm. Since our final product is an algorithm for markerless hand tracking,most of our costs relates to refining algorithm and comparing results, which are accrued from licensing and usage of the programming language and digital programs like MATLAB, Python, PhaseSpace and MediaPipe that would be utilized in the gathering and subsequent analysis of the data. The current market value of the markerless tracking system is about 62.42 million USD with a CAGR of about 17.1% and projected growth of 276.8 million USD by 2033.The U.S. has the highest market for markerless tracking products. The main clinical needs include immediate feedback and skill assessment for surgeons in training, and improved patient outcomes in hospital and clinics.

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