NDI (Northern Digital Inc.) has announced the release of its new compact optical tracker for instrument tracking inside confined clinical and surgical suites: the Polaris Lyra®. As the successor to the Polaris Vicra®, the Polaris Lyra builds on the reputation of exceptional performance, reliability, and ease of integration that is synonymous with the Polaris® product name.

The Polaris Lyra’s design and performance are optimized for navigated procedures focused on individual body segments that can use smaller ergonomic instruments. Its high measurement rate of up to 125 Hz and accuracy of up to 0.20 mm RMS allow the most subtle OEM instrument movements to be tracked and visualized in real time.

Weighing less than one kilogram and measuring less than 30 cm in length, the Polaris Lyra can be mounted almost anywhere, benefiting use in confined clinical/surgical suites. It occupies a small footprint within the operative space, preserving equipment maneuverability and clinician workflow. The short measurement volume stand-off further addresses space restrictions. A large measurement volume—that is up to four times larger than its predecessor—and a wide field of view support real-time tracking of multiple OEM instruments simultaneously.

Simplified medical OEM system integration is achieved via a GPIO (General-Purpose Input/Output) port. Using the Polaris API (Application Programming Interface), a medical device OEM can define the GPIO port functionality: the port can be used to monitor events or trigger events. For example, the GPIO port can be used to synchronize the Polaris Lyra with other hardware devices or to enable trigger events by a hand/foot switch.

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“With its powerful feature set and exceptional tracking performance, the Polaris Lyra provides medical device OEMs with a compact optical tracker that meets the complex and evolving clinical and surgical requirements of navigated procedures,” says Steven van Hengstum, Strategic Product Manager – Optical at NDI.

“The Polaris Lyra is built on the same foundation of uncompromising quality and technical innovation for which the entire Polaris product suite is known, and that our customers trust to achieve their next application breakthroughs.”