A 3-D Magnetometer-Aided Low-Field Electromagnetic Tracking System for Clinical Surgery Applications

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 s...

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Main Authors: Oluwole John Famoriji, Thokozani Shongwe
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IEEE 2025-01-01
Series:IEEE Access
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11009017/
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author Oluwole John Famoriji
Thokozani Shongwe
author_facet Oluwole John Famoriji
Thokozani Shongwe
author_sort Oluwole John Famoriji
collection DOAJ
description 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.
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spelling doaj-art-78f9d6b086e845f5878b5c021b51cbf62025-08-20T02:34:36ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362025-01-0113904679047510.1109/ACCESS.2025.357244511009017A 3-D Magnetometer-Aided Low-Field Electromagnetic Tracking System for Clinical Surgery ApplicationsOluwole John Famoriji0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1357-3935Thokozani Shongwe1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3011-7600Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South AfricaDepartment of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technology, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South AfricaMagnetic 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.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11009017/EM tracking3-D magnetometersurgerymagnetic fieldsensorscalibration
spellingShingle Oluwole John Famoriji
Thokozani Shongwe
A 3-D Magnetometer-Aided Low-Field Electromagnetic Tracking System for Clinical Surgery Applications
IEEE Access
EM tracking
3-D magnetometer
surgery
magnetic field
sensors
calibration
title A 3-D Magnetometer-Aided Low-Field Electromagnetic Tracking System for Clinical Surgery Applications
title_full A 3-D Magnetometer-Aided Low-Field Electromagnetic Tracking System for Clinical Surgery Applications
title_fullStr A 3-D Magnetometer-Aided Low-Field Electromagnetic Tracking System for Clinical Surgery Applications
title_full_unstemmed A 3-D Magnetometer-Aided Low-Field Electromagnetic Tracking System for Clinical Surgery Applications
title_short A 3-D Magnetometer-Aided Low-Field Electromagnetic Tracking System for Clinical Surgery Applications
title_sort 3 d magnetometer aided low field electromagnetic tracking system for clinical surgery applications
topic EM tracking
3-D magnetometer
surgery
magnetic field
sensors
calibration
url https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11009017/
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