Robotic Lighting System Illuminates Operating Theaters

An innovative smart lighting system for operating rooms allows users to efficiently control the direction and intensity of the light beam projected onto the surgical field.

Developed at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, the Medical Intelligent Lighting System (MILS) consists of an overhead light with two incorporated oblique light sources that eliminate shadows in the working area, while also minimizing infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. The surgeon used arm movements to activate a remote control and illuminate specific areas as required by maneuvering rows of light emitting diode (LED) lights with intensity of up to 160,000 lux to improve the precision and orientation of lighting.

The guidance system simply requires that the surgeon aims the handheld controller at the area of the patient's body that needs to be illuminated, and the system provides light at the required intensity and from the appropriate angle, illuminating the entire length and breadth of a patient's body. The system also includes laminar flow diffusers that generate an airflow that sweeps pathogens and other particles floating in the air down to floor level.

“An operating theatre is a very tricky space to light. You have various people moving around the patient, equipment suspended from the ceiling, moments when a very powerful light needs to be directed at a specific area, and other points when the lighting must be dimmed and come from a different direction to avoid having the surgeon cast a shadow,” said Professor Alícia Casals, PhD, of the UPC Research Centre for Biomedical Engineering (CREB).

A consortium set up by UPC with Luxiona, an international company that specializes in industrial lighting, and Telstar, a supplier of technological equipment for the biomedical sector, is commercializing the system, which has already has been installed in three hospitals.