Electromagnetic tracker measurement error simulation and tool design.

Developing electromagnetically (EM) tracked tools can be very time consuming. Tool design traditionally takes many iterations, each of which requires construction of a physical tool and performing lengthy experiments. We propose a simulator that allows tools to be virtually designed and tested before ever being physically built. Both tool rigid body (RB) configurations and reference RB configurations are configured; the reference RB can be located anywhere in the field, and the tool is virtually moved around the reference in user-specified pattern. Sensor measurements of both RBs are artificially distorted according to a previously acquired error field mapping, and the 6-DOF frames of the Tool and Reference are refit to the distorted sensors. It is possible to predict the tool tip registration error for a particular tool and coordinate reference frame (CRF) in a particular scenario before ever even building the tools.