Using Gesture and Speech to Control Surgical Lighting Systems: Mixed Methods Study

BackgroundSurgical lighting systems (SLSs) provide optimal lighting conditions for operating room personnel. Current systems are mainly adjusted by hand; surgeons either accommodate the light themselves or communicate their requirements to an assistant to ensure optimal surgi...

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Main Authors: Nima Zargham, Anke V Reinschluessel, Andre Mühlenbrock, Thomas Muender, Timur Cetin, Verena Nicole Uslar, Dirk Weyhe, Rainer Malaka, Tanja Döring
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: JMIR Publications 2025-05-01
Series:JMIR Human Factors
Online Access:https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2025/1/e70628
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author Nima Zargham
Anke V Reinschluessel
Andre Mühlenbrock
Thomas Muender
Timur Cetin
Verena Nicole Uslar
Dirk Weyhe
Rainer Malaka
Tanja Döring
author_facet Nima Zargham
Anke V Reinschluessel
Andre Mühlenbrock
Thomas Muender
Timur Cetin
Verena Nicole Uslar
Dirk Weyhe
Rainer Malaka
Tanja Döring
author_sort Nima Zargham
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundSurgical lighting systems (SLSs) provide optimal lighting conditions for operating room personnel. Current systems are mainly adjusted by hand; surgeons either accommodate the light themselves or communicate their requirements to an assistant to ensure optimal surgical conditions. This poses challenges to maintaining sterility, proper accessibility, and illumination and can lead to potential collision problems. Furthermore, the personnel operating the light may not have deep medical knowledge or equipment expertise. ObjectiveThis paper introduces a touch-free interaction concept for controlling an SLS using speech and gestures. MethodsWe used an iterative, user-centered design approach with participatory design sessions. This process involved conducting a literature review, several observations of actual surgical sites, and engaging stakeholders through interviews and focus groups. In addition, we carried out 2 user studies: one in a virtual reality setup and another in a living laboratory environment. ResultsOur findings indicate that our interaction concept is a viable alternative for controlling an SLS. Despite some technical limitations, surgical experts found the system intuitive and useful, recognizing the significant potential for touch-free lighting adjustments in the operating room. The combination of speech and gesture modalities was seen as helpful and even necessary, with some interactions better suited to one modality over the other. Offering both modalities for each interaction provided greater flexibility. ConclusionsOur findings suggest that our proposed touch-free interaction concept can enhance surgical conditions and has the potential to replace traditional adjustment.
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spelling doaj-art-4bc1d029ba064ed3bdf89b00a0f8dfa02025-08-20T02:58:40ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Human Factors2292-94952025-05-0112e7062810.2196/70628Using Gesture and Speech to Control Surgical Lighting Systems: Mixed Methods StudyNima Zarghamhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-4116-0601Anke V Reinschluesselhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6389-6436Andre Mühlenbrockhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7836-3341Thomas Muenderhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0606-9258Timur Cetinhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-2213-4184Verena Nicole Uslarhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-3252-2076Dirk Weyhehttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-2660-625XRainer Malakahttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-6463-4828Tanja Döringhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-8648-340X BackgroundSurgical lighting systems (SLSs) provide optimal lighting conditions for operating room personnel. Current systems are mainly adjusted by hand; surgeons either accommodate the light themselves or communicate their requirements to an assistant to ensure optimal surgical conditions. This poses challenges to maintaining sterility, proper accessibility, and illumination and can lead to potential collision problems. Furthermore, the personnel operating the light may not have deep medical knowledge or equipment expertise. ObjectiveThis paper introduces a touch-free interaction concept for controlling an SLS using speech and gestures. MethodsWe used an iterative, user-centered design approach with participatory design sessions. This process involved conducting a literature review, several observations of actual surgical sites, and engaging stakeholders through interviews and focus groups. In addition, we carried out 2 user studies: one in a virtual reality setup and another in a living laboratory environment. ResultsOur findings indicate that our interaction concept is a viable alternative for controlling an SLS. Despite some technical limitations, surgical experts found the system intuitive and useful, recognizing the significant potential for touch-free lighting adjustments in the operating room. The combination of speech and gesture modalities was seen as helpful and even necessary, with some interactions better suited to one modality over the other. Offering both modalities for each interaction provided greater flexibility. ConclusionsOur findings suggest that our proposed touch-free interaction concept can enhance surgical conditions and has the potential to replace traditional adjustment.https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2025/1/e70628
spellingShingle Nima Zargham
Anke V Reinschluessel
Andre Mühlenbrock
Thomas Muender
Timur Cetin
Verena Nicole Uslar
Dirk Weyhe
Rainer Malaka
Tanja Döring
Using Gesture and Speech to Control Surgical Lighting Systems: Mixed Methods Study
JMIR Human Factors
title Using Gesture and Speech to Control Surgical Lighting Systems: Mixed Methods Study
title_full Using Gesture and Speech to Control Surgical Lighting Systems: Mixed Methods Study
title_fullStr Using Gesture and Speech to Control Surgical Lighting Systems: Mixed Methods Study
title_full_unstemmed Using Gesture and Speech to Control Surgical Lighting Systems: Mixed Methods Study
title_short Using Gesture and Speech to Control Surgical Lighting Systems: Mixed Methods Study
title_sort using gesture and speech to control surgical lighting systems mixed methods study
url https://humanfactors.jmir.org/2025/1/e70628
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