Surgical Simulator Design and Evaluation Using Game EngineTechnology

Surgical training is increasingly being done using simulator technology in order to teach basic
skills to residents without risking patients’ lives. However, neurosurgery lags behind other
surgical specialties in the adoption of simulators. Since there are no commercial simulators
in this domain, the National Research Council has embarked on a neurosurgery simulator
development program, in collaboration with Canadian neurosurgeons. We are planning to
work in collaboration with this project in order to design surgical scenarios as part of a
curriculum for the simulator; making use of Game Engine development tools as part of the
prototyping for the system development. Our project will also focus on the evaluation of the
simulated scenarios, making use of perceptual and educational evaluation methodologies.
The outcome of our research will benefit both partner organizations: (1) LHSC, by developing
training modules and a curriculum that neurosurgery residents can use to rehearse and refine
surgical skills; and (2) Digital Extremes, by exploring this avenue as a new market

Faculty Supervisor:

Roy Eagleson

Student:

Partner:

London Health Sciences Centre;Digital Extremes;National Research Council of Canada (Ottawa, ON)

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology

University:

Western University

Program: