The DORA team - Kristjan Košič, Boštjan Arzenšek, Andraž Leitgeb, Zedin Salkanović, Matej Vogrinčič – from the Maribor Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Computer and Information Science in July won the 2nd place in the most prestigious category, Innovations. 87 student teams from 71 countries participated at the competition, and DORA team's 2nd place was the best result Slovenia ever achieved at the ImagineCup competition organized in Saint Petersburg by the American technological giant Microsoft.

But, as the team mentor Kristjan Košič, assistant at the Faculty, emphasized, it is not about the laurels; this outstanding recognition for them means mostly a confirmation, and an additional encouragement to continue, also during the summer, developing their interesting solution which facilitates the work of the surgeons.

The initiative came from the University clinical centre Maribor
Matej Vogrinčič from the University clinical centre Mariboru explained to Kristjan Košič a problem the surgeons are facing daily in the operating theatre. If they need to recheck the patient diagnosis, photographs, and other documentation, they have to exit the sterile operating field, leave the operating table and go to a computer, and then have to scrub up again to regain sterility and only then return to the operating table. Consequently the operation lasts longer. Up till now they could use only certain consoles for controlling the computer, or computer tablets (pads), which however had to be disinfected.

The members of DORA team found an interesting solution they named Adora, i.e. Doctor's Operational Research Assistant. It is a voice- and motion-controlled system enabling surgeons a touchless access to files previously downloaded into a tablet application. They got the idea from the computer games, and as a base used Kinect technology for xbox 360 game consoles. In this way no additional device has to be present within the sterile operating field.

"Our solution is not based only on a contact-free data control, but it is a synergy of several technologies. We mainly focused on the possibility of placing our product inside the operating theatre without infringing on the existing system. It is a demanding task, as the new product must be capable of communicating with several systems, and speak different computer languages," Košič explained.

The first surgery in the end of October
Their work is still in the prototype phase, so the work on the product is continuing full steam. In the end of October it should be actually used in surgery for the first time, in Maribor. Surgeons, according to Košič, very quickly master the necessary moves and commands, and are enthusiastic about the solution. While developing Adora they were often in contact with the doctors from Maribor, who contributed their opinions and suggestions. The solution was presented in the Celje Hospital as well. "The surgeons are usually enthusiastic and would like to use Adora, but the problems occur at the higher levels of the hospitals, as a consequence of the austerity measures in the medical service," Košič added.