Acoustic orthopedic tracking system and methods

A method for producing orthopedic data using acoustic waveforms, comprising:

• transmitting acoustic signals from an array of acoustic transducer elements of an acoustic probe device toward a target volume of an orthopedic structure of a body part of a biological subject to which the acoustic probe device is in contact, wherein the acoustic probe device includes an acoustic coupling medium coupled to the array of acoustic transducer elements and is operable to conduct the acoustic signals between the acoustic transducer elements and the body part of the biological subject when in contact with the acoustic coupling medium;
• receiving acoustic echoes that return from at least part of the target volume at one or more of the acoustic transducer elements, wherein the received acoustic echoes include at least some waveform components corresponding to the transmitted acoustic signals;
• determining coordinate positions of the acoustic transducer elements of the acoustic probe device during the transmitting of the acoustic signals and the receiving of the acoustic echoes;
• processing the received acoustic echoes with the determined coordinate positions of the acoustic transducer elements to produce spatial information corresponding to returned acoustic echoes from the orthopedic structure, wherein the spatial information includes position data of the orthopedic structure and vector data of the orthopedic structure's movement derived from the determined coordinate positions of the acoustic transducer elements.