Visualization of Data from a Multifunctional Surgical Device for Measuring Forces and Torques Using the Violin Diagram Method

Recently, there has been a trend in the field of surgery towards the development of smart medical devices. Sensors of various functionalities are embedded in medical-surgical devices, which makes it possible to read data during surgical interventions and, based on the data obtained, track critical situations and analyze the actions of the surgeon. One of the recent trends is the introduction of multicomponent force-torque sensors in surgical instruments. However, when processing data from such sensors, a problem arises with the visualization of data in a form convenient for human perception. The purpose of this article is to describe an approach to presenting data in the form of violin diagrams for analyzing the data of forces and moments occurring on medical instruments with built-in multi-component force sensors. The main criteria necessary for obtaining the maximum information content of visualization are highlighted, based on which the synthesis of the visualization method is carried out. The proposed method is also tested for various surgical effects on patient tissues. In particular, the results of testing the visualization method are described by experimenting using a multifunctional device for measuring forces and moments on back phantoms, followed by data visualization. The possibility of using the data visualization method for various methods of surgical interventions, as well as the possibility of comparing numerical parameters, is evaluated.