# Is there a way to integrate 3D slicer and ROS?

**URL:** <https://discourse.slicer.org/t/is-there-a-way-to-integrate-3d-slicer-and-ros/11266>\
**Category:** Support\
**Created:** [April 23, 2020, 10:25am UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/is-there-a-way-to-integrate-3d-slicer-and-ros/11266 "2020-04-23T10:25:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![CHRIS\_HUYNH](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/chris_huynh/32/6392_2.png) [@CHRIS\_HUYNH](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/CHRIS_HUYNH)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 10:25am UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/is-there-a-way-to-integrate-3d-slicer-and-ros/11266/1 "2020-04-23T10:25:56Z")

</div>

Hi,

I’m using the pedicle screw simulator to plan pedicle screw trajectories and I was wondering if i was able to use these planned trajectories in 3D Slicer to position an ABB 120 robot to align with these trajectories using ROS and a navigation camera.

I’ve got a phantom spine that I’m currently working with and I was going to use the PedicleScrewSimulator to plan pedicle screw trajectories into this phantom spine. Then I was hoping to use this planning to execute a planning path for a robot, using ROS, to position itself over the spine in these planned trajectories. I’d need to get the positioning of the real-world spine phantom to align with that on the simulator in order to do this, but is there a possibility of this being doable?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![tokjun](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.slicer.org/tokjun/32/1057_2.png) [@tokjun](https://discourse.slicer.org/u/tokjun)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 1:22pm UTC](https://discourse.slicer.org/t/is-there-a-way-to-integrate-3d-slicer-and-ros/11266/2 "2020-04-23T13:22:38Z")

</div>

Hi,

That is doable. We developed ROS-IGTL-Bridge ( [https://github.com/openigtlink/ROS-IGTL-Bridge](https://github.com/openigtlink/ROS-IGTL-Bridge) ), which works as a ROS node to exchange transforms, images, and models with 3D Slicer using OpenIGTLink. We also made a tutorial on image-guided robot-assisted needle placement using ROS-IGTL-Bridge and presented at the ISMR conference last year. You can still download the slides and materials at: [https://rosmed.github.io/](https://rosmed.github.io/)

Thanks!

Junichi