Surgical Light Tracker
Problem statement
Surgical operating rooms are among the most sterile environments due to the high risk of bacterial contamination. However, certain overhead equipment, such as lighting, cannot be kept sterile. When surgeons adjust these lights by hand, they risk contaminating the sterile field and increase the chances of infection. Surgeons must also repeatedly reorient themselves during procedures when adjusting these lights. Our client, a retired implant design engineer who shadowed surgeons in the operating room, observed this challenge firsthand and was concerned about the dangers of infection to the patient. He was also frustrated with how a simple problem, such as non sterile lighting, had not yet been addressed. Currently, there is a patent for an ‘Automated surgical illumination system’ [1] that tracks a sensor in the glove of the surgeon. However, with the sensor located in the glove, the light may not be focused on the surgical location where illumination is vital. Moreover, the sensor cannot be placed at the surgical site due to the risk of contamination of the sterile field. We intend to engineer a surgical light capable of illuminating from any angle, with the added potential for automation technology.
[1] G. M. Kim and T. L. Chen, ‘Automated surgical illumination system,’ US20120259178A1, Oct. 11, 2012 Accessed: Sept. 15, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://patents.google.com/patent/US20120259178A1/en
Team members
James Dellinger – facilitator
Jaxson Vo – accountant
Justin Lehrfeld – communicator
Grayson Mandl – admin
Client
John White
Zimmer Biomet