Special Session 22

SPECIAL SESSION #22

Vincenzo Ferrari

University of Pisa - Department of Information Engineering, Italy

• vincenzo.ferrari@unipi.it

Fabrizio Cutolo

University of Pisa - Department of Information Engineering, Italy

• fabrizio.cutolo@unipi.it

Ersilia Vallefuoco

University of Trento - Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science, Italy

• ersilia.vallefuoco@unitn.it

Luigi Duraccio

University of Naples Federico II - Center for Advanced Metrological and Technological Services (CeSMA), Italy

• luigi.duraccio@unina.it

Recent developments have shown the prominent role of eXtended Reality (XR) in surgery to improve and optimize visualization and navigation systems. However, some challenges are still open such as the data accuracy and real-time synchronization, management of medical information, interaction systems to use XR systems, and parallax-related virtual-to-real misalignments. In this context, papers submitted to this session are invited to explore the innovative integration between metrology and XR to support highly complex tasks, focusing on the application of advanced metrological approaches to enhance the precision, reliability, and effectiveness of XR-supported precision tasks. Experts and researchers in this field are invited to present their latest research, with particular emphasis on advancements in precision measurement, spatial alignment, latency measurement, and validation of data used in XR systems for the guidance of precision tasks (e.g., surgical applications). The goal is to provide a platform for sharing knowledge and innovative ideas that can significantly contribute to the growth and advancement of this multidisciplinary field.

The main topics are related, but not limited to:

• Precision measurements in XR-based guidance of precision tasks;
• Spatial Alignment in XR-based Applications;
• Human-Machine Interaction in XR for surgery;
• Instrument Calibration for XR systems;
• Validation of XR systems in precision tasks;
• Artificial Intelligence in XR systems for guidance of precision tasks;
• Integrated Systems of Robotic Surgery and XR.

Vincenzo Ferrari, received the Ph.D. degree from the University of Pisa. He is currently an Associate Professor of biomedical engineering with the Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa. He is the author of more than 150 peer-reviewed publications and has five patents. His research interests involve image guided surgery and simulation, computer vision and augmented reality devices and applications in medicine. He is involved in several national and international research projects.

Fabrizio Cutolo, holds BSc and MSc degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy, in 2006, and a PhD degree in Translational Medicine from the University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy, in 2015. Currently, he is a post-doctorate researcher at the Department of Information Engineering of the University of Pisa, Italy. Research interests include developing and evaluating new mixed reality solutions for image-guided surgery and surgical simulation, machine-vision applications, surgical robotics, visual perception, ubiquitous tracking, and human-machine interfaces for healthcare. Has participated in several national and international research projects.

Ersilia Vallefuoco, received the M.Sc. degree in biomedical engineering and the Ph.D. degree in information technology and electrical engineering from the University of Naples Federico II, in 2016 and 2020, respectively. She is currently a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science, University of Trento. Her current research interests include eXtended reality in medicine, serious games for diagnosis and rehabilitation, human-agent interaction in XR environments, and technologies for people with disabilities.

Luigi Duraccio, received in 2018 the M.Sc Degree cum laude in Electronics Engineering at the University of Naples Federico II, developing his Thesis at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). In 2023, he received the Ph.D cum laude in Metrology at the Polytechnic University of Turin. He is currently a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Center for Advanced Metrological and Technological Services (CeSMA) of the University of Naples Federico II. His current research interests include Metrology for Industry and Health 4.0, Metrology for Human-Computer Interaction, Cyber-Physical Measurement Systems, and Metrology for Environmental Sustainability.