Simulated inertial position tracking using MEMS accelerometers and gyroscopes for use in medical and surgical procedures
Abstract
The MEMS field is an emerging technology that has it roots in the integrated circuit field but attempts to merge a mechanical system in the small-scale world of circuits. MEMS have the ability to physically respond to its environment and directly convert the input into an electrical signal. The MEMS built today are combined and packaged to improve many of the tools we use today. Medical devices are some the most sensitive and require a high level of precision in their design. A MEMS accelerometer and a MEMS gyroscope used together could be used to create an inertial position sensor. Such a device placed within a medical instrument such as colonoscope could benefit from knowing its precise position during the colonoscopy procedure while diagnosing a patient. The use of MEMS in a medical device leads the question: Are there, currently, commercially produced MEMS devices that can accurately act as position sensors in a medical endoscope/colonoscope? Using commercially available MEMS components, a program was created to simulate the use of MEMS devices as inertial position sensors. The program was designed to be open ended and user configurable for different components. Linear and random motions applied to various devices lead to the selection of a possible configuration for use in the scope. The final device was unsatisfactory as a medical device due to its high error of at least 30.8% and above. The program itself was successful in simulating the devices by matching the vendor supplied specifications.
Subject Area
Electrical engineering|Biomedical engineering|Medicine|Surgery
Recommended Citation
Lechuga, Adrian, "Simulated inertial position tracking using MEMS accelerometers and gyroscopes for use in medical and surgical procedures" (2006). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI1435341.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI1435341