Bangor University staff have created a virtual pin-hole surgery trainer that combined 3D glasses and a projected display with force-feedback technology to create a virtual reality patient they can practice on, that generates real feedback on the needle during the procedure.
“What we’re trying to do is create a virtual patient that a doctor or nurse can practice on,” explained Prof Nigel John from the university’s School of Computer Science.
“Rather than them having to practice on you or me, they can have a virtual patient that doesn’t scream too much, to work out how to do a procedure.”
This type of procedure is common in interventional radiology, where tiny punctures are used in combination with radiological scans to better locate their targets.
via BBC News – Welsh ‘super-needle’ to aid pin-hole surgery training.
