Virtual Reality System Gives Surgeons a New Way to Train

Pilots use flight simulators to train, now surgeons get their own virtual reality system to practice complex procedures. Seattle-based Mimic Technologies developed a training simulator, the dV-Trainer, designed to allow efficient, on-demand training for surgeons learning to use the daVinci® Surgical System, a sophisticated robotic platform that enables complex surgery using a minimally invasive approach.

The dV-Trainer is like a "flight simulator" for the da Vinci Surgical System. This simulator is designed to teach basic robotic skills, such as instrument manipulation, camera control, clutching and suturing. Key components of the dV-Trainer are a compact hardware platform that closely reproduces the look and feel of the daVinci surgeon's console, and simulation software based on Mimic's proprietary virtual reality modeling technology.

Through the dV-Trainer, surgeons can independently practice important skills that once required cadavers or live patients. The simulator also provides surgeons with objective feedback on performance, while reducing training costs associated with training personnel, operating room costs, and training aids.

For more information, see a demo of the dV-Trainer HERE.

Source: Mimic Technologies