Electromagnetic sensors for surgical navigation: perspectives on design and optimization

In designing and manufacturing miniature electromagnetic (EM) sensors for surgical navigation applications—where precision, performance, and integration are critical – Intricon brings deep expertise. We understand that when it comes to sensor-enabled surgical navigation, a one-size-fits-all solution simply does not suffice. In this review, we share the fundamentals within custom EM sensor and subassembly design and outline key considerations and novel approaches to achieve optimal device efficiency and performance.

Excerpt from the article:

Fundamentals

A custom EM sensor must optimize signal strength and maximize signal integrity within a typically minimal volume. Sensitivity describes how much signal that a sensor can transduce into voltage for a given magnetic field amplitude and frequency. Typically, larger sensitivity will lead to better localization accuracy up to a level determined by the specifics of the navigation system and surgically relevant tracking volume. Sensitivity increase can be most easily achieved by either increasing the number of winds on a coil or increasing its overall size. There are obvious limitations of increasing size within the tight constraints of an interventional device, so a core is often needed to amplify the local magnetic field perceived by the sensor. While not always necessary – such as in the case of relatively large diameter air coils or specialized sensors integrated into other device components – core choice is often of critical importance in sensor design