<p>This thesis was performed at the research centre CINECA in Bologna, Italy. An interface with six degrees of freedom, 6DOF, to be used in a virtual environ- ment for the positioning of medical components was developed in co-operation with IOR, one of the most important orthopaedic hospitals in Italy. The main reason for doing this was to find out whether or not a virtual en-viron-ment and 6DOF interaction could make the pre-operative planning of an ope-ration more efficient compared to other techniques. Is it easy to posi-tion an object using stereovision and a 6DOF tracker tool? Further-more, the interface might also be used in other applications and areas in the future. </p><p>Described is the development of an interaction class especially constructed for the use of a tracking tool called a stylus pen. This tool takes advantage of all 6DOF, i.e. it recognises movements in the x, y and z directions and likewise the orientation of the tool around the three axis. Moreover, an application which uses the interaction class was created in order to evaluate its usefulness. The application enables the user to load, save and position objects within a virtual environment. The result of this evaluation is then described and discussed. </p><p>In the evaluations it was shown that the stylus pen with 6DOF is an intuitive in-ter-action tool which works well for positioning. The stereovision also seems to further improve the users ability to position objects. However, the created interaction class needs to be further developed before itcan be implemented in a pre-operative planning tool.</p>

Thesis (MScEng (Industrial Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: As part of a growing trend in the medical industry of patient specific solutions, a need arises for means and methods that could grant surgeons the ability to improve their pre-operative planning, and help streamline their intra-operative proceedings relative to each individual patient. A suitable solution has emerged in the form of Additive Fabrication. Most of the traditional layer manufacturing technologies have been considered to be too expensive for medical application, and could not always be justified. However, more cost effective technologies, such as 3D Printing, have recently come to the scene and definitely require a fresh re-consideration for medical applications. In this report the research results are presented that look at the applications of 3D Printing in various fields of reconstructive surgery. Based on a variety of case studies the outcome strongly suggests that 3D Printing might become part of standard protocol in medical practice in the near future. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Tans beweeg die mediese veld al hoe meer in die rigting van pasiënt uniekheid. Dit beteken dat behandeling begin weg beweeg van standaard prosedures en soveel moontlik aagepas word om aan te pas by elke unieke pasiënt. As deel hiervan ontstaan die behoefte by chirurge om hul operasies ook beter te beplan spesifiek tot elke individu, en sodoende te verseker dat die prosedures in teater so glad moontlik verloop. Daar is reeds tegnologië in die vorm van Addidatiewe Vervaardiging wat hierdie probleem aanspreek. Tot op hede was die finansiële implikasies vir meeste van die onderskeie tegnologië ‘n struikelblok wanneer dit kom by mediese toepassings. Tog, danksy meer koste effektiewe tegnologie soos 3D Drukwerk, is dit die moeite werd om weer op nuut te kyk na die moontlikhede wat die tegnologie kan bied. In hierdie verslag word daar gekyk na die verskillende toepassings van 3D Drukwerk in die veld van rekonstruktiewe chirurgie. Op grond van die resultate verkry vanaf ‘n wye verskeidenheid gevalle studies word die gevolgtrekking gemaak dat bekostigbare tegnologie soos 3D Drukwerk ‘n baie goeie kans het om in die nabye toekoms deel te word van standaard prosedure in die mediese praktyk.

This thesis was performed at the research centre CINECA in Bologna, Italy. An interface with six degrees of freedom, 6DOF, to be used in a virtual environ- ment for the positioning of medical components was developed in co-operation with IOR, one of the most important orthopaedic hospitals in Italy. The main reason for doing this was to find out whether or not a virtual en-viron-ment and 6DOF interaction could make the pre-operative planning of an ope-ration more efficient compared to other techniques. Is it easy to posi-tion an object using stereovision and a 6DOF tracker tool? Further-more, the interface might also be used in other applications and areas in the future. Described is the development of an interaction class especially constructed for the use of a tracking tool called a stylus pen. This tool takes advantage of all 6DOF, i.e. it recognises movements in the x, y and z directions and likewise the orientation of the tool around the three axis. Moreover, an application which uses the interaction class was created in order to evaluate its usefulness. The application enables the user to load, save and position objects within a virtual environment. The result of this evaluation is then described and discussed. In the evaluations it was shown that the stylus pen with 6DOF is an intuitive in-ter-action tool which works well for positioning. The stereovision also seems to further improve the users ability to position objects. However, the created interaction class needs to be further developed before itcan be implemented in a pre-operative planning tool.