Researchers propose hybrid approach for tracking laparoscopic ultrasound transducers Laparoscopic surgery, a less invasive alternative to conventional open surgery, involves inserting thin tubes with a tiny camera and surgical instruments into the abdomen. To visualize specific surgical targets, ultrasound imaging is used in conjunction with the surgery. However, ultrasound images are viewed on a separate screen, requiring the surgeon to mentally combine the camera and ultrasound data. Modern augmented reality (AR)-based methods have overcome this issue by embedding ultrasound images into the video taken by the laparoscopic camera. These AR methods precisely map the ultrasound data coordinates to the coordinates of the images seen through the camera. Although the process is mathematically straightforward, it can only be done if the pose (position and orientation) of the ultrasound probe (transducer) is known by the camera coordinate system.