Haptics-Enabled Virtual Reality Simulation of External Ventricular Drain: A Pilot Study

Virtual reality surgery simulation is an emerging technology in surgeon training to train surgical motor skills in virtual environments. This technology reduces the need for training on patients, cadavers, and animals, and enables objective evaluation of the skill acquisition process in a systematic manner. Although this technology has attracted a great deal of interest in several surgical disciplines, its use remains minimal. One reason is the low level of immersiveness with the current state-of-the-art in VR. Recently, wearable haptic gloves otherwise known as smart gloves have been introduced and they are gaining popularity in various virtual and mixed reality applications; however, the application of this new technology is yet to be evaluated for surgery simulation. The objective of this project is to develop a surgery simulator that is enhanced by a haptics glove. In close interactions with surgical staff, we will simulate the placement of External Ventricular Drain, a common operation in neurosurgery. The simulator to be developed in this project will be used in a user study to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the haptics gloves in surgical simulation.

Faculty Supervisor:

Reza Faieghi;Roy Eagleson;Sandrine de Ribaupierre

Student:

Partner:

Veyond Metaverse, Inc.;London Health Sciences Centre

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Toronto Metropolitan University

Program: