Background: Augmented reality (AR) allows the surgeon to represent holographic patient-specific anatomical information and surgical instruments in the physical world. To correctly superimpose virtual and physical objects, a hand-eye (HE) calibration method for mapping the virtual and physical spaces was proposed.

Methods: Mathematical relationships between the virtual camera and the physical space were derived. Finally, the accuracy and robustness of the proposed HE calibration method were qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated.

Results: The proposed calibration method allows us to determine an optimal invariant spatiotemporal mapping between the virtual camera and the physical space.

Conclusion: Qualitatively and quantitatively reliable and accurate estimates for the physical-virtual mapping transformation were verified. Consequently, imaging data and surgical instruments holograms can be precisely represented in the physical space.