Surgical Virtual Reality - Highlights in Developing a High Performance Surgical Haptic Device
D. Custură-Crăciun, D. Cochior, S. Constantinoiu, C. NeaguGeneral reports, no. 6, 2013
Just like simulators are a standard in aviation and aerospacesciences, we expect for surgical simulators to soon become astandard in medical applications. These will correctly instructfuture doctors in surgical techniques without there being aneed for hands on patient instruction. Using virtual reality bydigitally transposing surgical procedures changes surgery in arevolutionary manner by offering possibilities for implementingnew, much more efficient, learning methods, by allowing thepractice of new surgical techniques and by improving surgeonabilities and skills. Perfecting haptic devices has opened thedoor to a series of opportunities in the fields of research,industry, nuclear science and medicine. Concepts purelytheoretical at first, such as telerobotics, telepresence or telerepresentation,have become a practical reality as calculustechniques, telecommunications and haptic devices evolved,virtual reality taking a new leap. In the field of surgery barriersand controversies still remain, regarding implementation andgeneralization of surgical virtual simulators. These obstaclesremain connected to the high costs of this yet fully sufficiently developed technology, especially in the domain of hapticdevices.
