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Research ArticleOther & Special Categories

Do-It-Yourself Augmented Reality Heads-Up Display (DIY AR-HUD): A Technical Note

Jang W. Yoon, Michael Spadola, Rachel Blue, Anissa Saylany, Nikhil Sharma, Hasan S. Ahmad, Vivek Buch, Karthik Madhavan, H. Isaac Chen, Michael P. Steinmetz, William C. Welch and Neil R. Malhotra
International Journal of Spine Surgery July 2021, 8106; DOI: https://doi.org/10.14444/8106
Jang W. Yoon
1Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
MD, MSC
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Michael Spadola
1Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
MD
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Rachel Blue
1Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
MD
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Anissa Saylany
1Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
BA
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Nikhil Sharma
1Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
MS
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Hasan S. Ahmad
1Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
BS
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Vivek Buch
1Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
MD
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Karthik Madhavan
2Department of Neurosurgery, University of Miami, Miami, Florida
MD
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H. Isaac Chen
1Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
MD
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Michael P. Steinmetz
3Department of Neurosurgery, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio
MD
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William C. Welch
1Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
MD
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Neil R. Malhotra
1Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
MD
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ABSTRACT

Background We present a “Do-It-Yourself” method to build an affordable augmented reality heads-up display system (AR-HUD) capable of displaying intraoperative images. All components are commercially available products, which the surgeons may use in their own practice for educational and research purposes.

Methods Moverio BT 35-E smart glasses were connected to operating room imaging modalities (ie, fluoroscopy and 3D navigation platforms) via a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) converter, allowing for continuous high-definition video transmission. The addition of an HDMI transmitter-receiver makes the AR-HUD system wireless.

Results We used our AR-HUD system in 3 patients undergoing instrumented spinal fusion. AR-HUD projected fluoroscopy images onto the surgical field, eliminating shift of surgeon focus and procedure interruption, with only a 40- to 100-ms delay in transmission, which was not clinically impactful.

Conclusions An affordable AR-HUD capable of displaying real-time information into the surgeon's view can be easily designed, built, and tested in surgical practice. As wearable heads-up display technology continues to evolve rapidly, individual components presented here may be substituted to improve its functionality and usability. Surgeons are in a unique position to conduct clinical testing in the operating room environment to optimize the augmented reality system for surgical use.

  • spine
  • minimally invasive surgery
  • MIS
  • nerve surgery
  • orthopedic
  • 3D imaging
  • augmented reality
  • image-guided surgery
  • intraoperative imaging
  • navigation
  • heads-up display

Footnotes

  • Disclosures and COI: Dr Yoon is the founder and CEO of MedCyclops. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

  • This manuscript is generously published free of charge by ISASS, the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery. Copyright © 2021 ISASS
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International Journal of Spine Surgery: 19 (S2)
International Journal of Spine Surgery
Vol. 19, Issue S2
1 Apr 2025
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Do-It-Yourself Augmented Reality Heads-Up Display (DIY AR-HUD): A Technical Note
Jang W. Yoon, Michael Spadola, Rachel Blue, Anissa Saylany, Nikhil Sharma, Hasan S. Ahmad, Vivek Buch, Karthik Madhavan, H. Isaac Chen, Michael P. Steinmetz, William C. Welch, Neil R. Malhotra
International Journal of Spine Surgery Jul 2021, 8106; DOI: 10.14444/8106

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Do-It-Yourself Augmented Reality Heads-Up Display (DIY AR-HUD): A Technical Note
Jang W. Yoon, Michael Spadola, Rachel Blue, Anissa Saylany, Nikhil Sharma, Hasan S. Ahmad, Vivek Buch, Karthik Madhavan, H. Isaac Chen, Michael P. Steinmetz, William C. Welch, Neil R. Malhotra
International Journal of Spine Surgery Jul 2021, 8106; DOI: 10.14444/8106
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Keywords

  • spine
  • minimally invasive surgery
  • MIS
  • nerve surgery
  • orthopedic
  • 3D imaging
  • augmented reality
  • image-guided surgery
  • intraoperative imaging
  • navigation
  • heads-up display

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