Haptic feedback and guidance for Neurosurgeons.

What is the NeuroShirt?

The NeuroShirt guides Neurosurgeons during the drilling task, in order to prevent drilling through critical structures such as veins and nerves.

Background Information

The cognitive load of a Neurosurgeon is very high during long surgeries (up to 12 hours). The surgeon continuously needs to switch between microscope and NeuroNavigator (visual load). Furthermore, the surgeon is in constant communication with other operating theatre personnel as well as beeping sounds regarding the state of being of the patient.

The NeuroShirt is intended to decrease the visual load of a Neurosurgeon by using the sense of touch to give information on the location and distance of critical structure. This allows the surgeon to switch less between visual tasks and still receive accurate feedback.

The NeuroShirt has been under development in collaboration the Utrecht University hospital (UMCU) since 2017. The shirt is developed with financial support from the European Union and ‘Kansen voor West’.

How It Works

Using vibrating actuators on the torso, the NeuroShirt augments the NeuroNavigator by warning the Neurosurgeon when he or she is about to hit critical structures. The shirt connects through the UMCU EVADE software with the NeuroNavigator system. Through vibrations, the surgeon is able to receive clear information. The Neurosurgeon is able to focus on the microscope view and less frequently needs to check the NeuroNavigator images to localise the surgical instrument relative to the critical structure.


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