OpenIGTLink
Overview
The OpenIGTLink protocol is a simple but extensible data format to transfer various types of data among software and devices used in image-guided therapy (IGT) scene e.g. surgical navigation software, tracking device, robotic device, imaging scanner. The protocol can handle image, tracking data, transform, device control and monitoring command, and other user-defined data types. It is designed to work in the application layer of the TCP/IP stack, but not limited to it; developers can use this protocol with UDP/IP or other network protocol models. 3D Slicer' supports OpenIGTLink and has interface module as OpenIGTLinkIF, which is currently available in 3D Slicer ver. 3.4 and higher.
This is a generalization of the previous Tracker Daemon.
Contents
What's New
- June 16, 2010, Videos of Matlab OpenIGTLink integration is added. See OpenIGTLink Interface for Matlab / Octave.
- June 16, 2010, OpenIGTLink ML has been launched! Please subscribe from OpenIGTLink ML Info Page
- May 5, 2010, Please join us in NA-MIC teleconference call on May 27, 2010 to discuss agenda for NA-MIC Summer Project Week in Boston.
- May 5, 2010, We are drafting a protocol for version 2. See Protocol description (draft) and discussions for more detail.
Protocol
The OpenIGTLink protocol is backward compatible, in the sense that all messages generated by software with OpenIGTLink version 1 interfaces can be imported by those with version 2 interfaces.
Version 1
- Standard Protocol
- Site and Project Specific Extended Protocols
Version 2 (in draft)
- (New!) Release plan for version 2 protocol
- (New!) Version 2 Draft Page (Now inviting message type proposals)
- Version 2 Summary -- What's new in V.2?
Library
- C/C++ Implementation
- Matlab / Octave (under development)
Interfaces / Software
Devices
Please see the list of the OpenIGTLink-compliant hardware and software.
- MRI real time image (currently supporting GE, planning to invite other vendors)
- JHU robots and encoders - JHU page
- List all devices supported by IGSTK
- NDI Optotrak
- Robin Medical EndoScout (by BWH)
- Aurora
- FlockOfBirds
- Polaris
(Please contact us if you would like to include other devices.)
Workshops / Meetings / Tutorials
Meetings / Workshops
Tutorial Materials
- Tutorials on image guided therapy (IGT) using Slicer 3 and OpenIGTLink is available at IGT:ToolKit
- A tutorial on 3D Slicer and Tracker simulator is available at 3D Slicer OpenIGTLink IF Documentation page.
People / Organizations
- Luis Ibanez, Kitware
- Junichi Tokuda, BWH
- Csaba Csoma, JHU
- Jack Blevins, Acousticmed
- Patrick Cheng, Georgetown University
- Haying Liu, BWH
- Insight Software Consortium
- Jumpei Arata, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan (Nagoya robot control)
Supports
- Enabling Technologies for MRI-Guided Prostate Interventions funded by National Institute of Health (PI: Clare Tempany, MD)
- National Center for Image Guided Therapy (NCIGT)
- National Alliance for Medical Image Computing (NA-MIC)
- Intelligent Surgical Instrument Project sponsored by The Ministry of International Trade and Industry, Japan
License
New BSD license ©2008 Insight Software Consortium
Reference
- Tokuda J, Fischer GS, Papademetris X, Yaniv Z, Ibanez L, Cheng P, Liu H, Blevins J, Arata J, Golby AJ, Kapur T, Pieper S, Burdette EC, Fichtinger G, Tempany CM, Hata N.. OpenIGTLink: an open network protocol for image-guided therapy environment. Int J Med Robot. 2009 Dec;5(4):423-34.
Related pages
- Slicer 3 Image Guided Therapy (IGT) suite
- Slicer 3 Daemon
- OpenDMTP - Open Device Monitoring and Tracking Protocol
- Uniform Driver Interface (UDI)
- Debian Source Package: openigtlink
Mailing List / Contact
We are launching the OpenIGTLink mailing list (openigtlink@bwh.harvard.edu). If you would like to join, please subscribe from OpenIGTLink ML Info Page or send Junichi Tokuda (tokuda at bwh.harvard.edu) a message with:
- Your name
- e-mail address you would like to use to post and receive ML articles
- Affiliation
- Your research topic