Technical Report: Automated Optical Inspection of Surgical Instruments
This work addresses the critical problem of identifying and rectifying manufacturing defects in surgical instruments for manufacturers and healthcare professionals, which is an incremental improvement to existing quality control processes.
This report investigates manufacturing defects in surgical instruments, specifically cracks, rust, and structural irregularities, using a new dataset of 4,414 high-resolution images. It aims to improve quality assurance through Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) tools by integrating deep learning architectures like YOLOv8, ResNet-152, and EfficientNet-b4.
In the dynamic landscape of modern healthcare, maintaining the highest standards in surgical instruments is critical for clinical success. This report explores the diverse realm of surgical instruments and their associated manufacturing defects, emphasizing their pivotal role in ensuring the safety of surgical procedures. With potentially fatal consequences arising from even minor defects, precision in manufacturing is paramount.The report addresses the identification and rectification of critical defects such as cracks, rust, and structural irregularities. Such scrutiny prevents substantial financial losses for manufacturers and, more crucially, safeguards patient lives. The collaboration with industry leaders Daddy D Pro and Dr. Frigz International, renowned trailblazers in the Sialkot surgical cluster, provides invaluable insights into the analysis of defects in Pakistani-made instruments. This partnership signifies a commitment to advancing automated defect detection methodologies, specifically through the integration of deep learning architectures including YOLOv8, ResNet-152, and EfficientNet-b4, thereby elevating quality standards in the manufacturing process. The scope of this report is to identify various surgical instruments manufactured in Pakistan and analyze their associated defects using a newly developed dataset of 4,414 high-resolution images. By focusing on quality assurance through Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) tools, this document serves as a resource for manufacturers, healthcare professionals, and regulatory bodies. The insights gained contribute to the enhancement of instrument standards, ensuring a more reliable healthcare environment through industry expertise and cutting-edge technology.