We discuss an implementation of an audio user interface for assisting surgical placement tasks. We assembled and tested an apparatus for evaluating the potential benefit of using audio guidance for assisting blind biopsy needle placement tasks. This system improves upon an earlier system we demonstrated (see [1]) by employing three dimensional audio processing as well as a facility for algorithmically-motivated arbitrary waveform synthesis.

Using this apparatus an operator attempted to manually follow a predetermined biopsy needle insertion path (trajectory) with an instrumented biopsy needle. This trajectory intercepted a target object embedded within a custom biopsy phantom. The target was invisible to the operator. Audio feedback provided the only means of trajectory and target localization.