# Augmented Reality Ultrasound Guidance

> **NIH NIH R03** · CHILDREN'S RESEARCH INSTITUTE · 2022 · $89,250

## Abstract

SUMMARY
Minimally invasive ultrasound-guided procedures are a mainstay of modern medicine and the number
of such procedures continues to grow. Safe, efficient, and precise execution of these procedures requires
a clear visualization of the target anatomy and the interventional device (e.g., a needle). While sustained
advances in ultrasound technology have led to greatly enhanced visualization of the anatomy and the
needle with high image quality, hand-eye coordination of the practitioner continues to be a challenge.
In order to properly position the interventional device, the practitioner must alternate their attention
between observing the patient, advancing the needle, and viewing the ultrasound image on a separate
screen. Our long-term goal is to develop an advanced visualization platform for ultrasound-guided
procedures to overcome this challenge by greatly simplifying hand-eye coordination. The proposed
platform will be developed using the latest advances in the augmented reality (AR) technology. Through
wearable, see-through AR glasses, the platform will create a virtual display placed in the practitioner's
field of view to show live ultrasound images, registered with the transducer and the patient, in the form
of a hologram. We hypothesize that such visualization will reduce the time of procedure by 20%. Two
specific aims of the project are to: (1) develop augmented reality visualization of live ultrasound images,
and (2) characterize technical performance and demonstrate improved efficiency through user studies.
This project is aimed at providing the practitioner a more intuitive and efficient platform to perform
ultrasound-guided procedures. As these procedures continue to grow, the work is both timely and
essential. Further, the project is innovative because we use AR in a novel way to create a single unified
display. Our multidisciplinary team with a strong track record of pioneering novel image guidance and
AR applications is uniquely qualified for this project. When fully developed, the proposed visualization
platform could make ultrasound-guided procedures safer and more precise and accelerate their growth
by reducing their complexity.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10350131
- **Project number:** 1R03EB032513-01
- **Recipient organization:** CHILDREN'S RESEARCH INSTITUTE
- **Principal Investigator:** Raj Shekhar
- **Activity code:** R03 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $89,250
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-06-01 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10350131

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10350131, Augmented Reality Ultrasound Guidance (1R03EB032513-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10350131. Licensed CC0.

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