Augmented reality in surgical training

HAPTICA:A SURGICAL SIMULATOR for training surgeons has been developed by a Dublin-based firm in conjunction with the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland (RCSI).

Haptica designs and manufactures augmented reality technology systems and simulators for use in medical training programmes.

The technology allows 3D graphic images to displayed over a real object, in this case anatomically accurate models of human organs encased within a torso.

Using the system a student can replicate complex surgical procedures with the correct medical instruments while their actions are displayed on the screen in 3D images.

Chief executive Fiona Slevin says the technology offers a different learning experience to the traditional medical training format because it offers a greater level of practical experience.

The company decided to target the area when it realised the increasing number of procedures, including keyhole surgeries, would lead to greater demand for interactive training.

“We can superimpose a graphic over an animation that guides the student and says: ‘Dissect the organ from point A to point B.’”

The surgeon’s performance can be monitored and they can receive feedback after completing the procedure, she said.

The company has “six or seven” programmes for specific procedures including general surgery, laparoscopy, appendectomy, colorectal surgery and spinal surgery.

The RCSI was involved in the development and has been using the simulator – called ProMIS – in its training programmes since 2004. Slevin says the firm’s first customers were academic teaching hospitals. It is now used in roughly 100 such facilities worldwide. A second market has recently emerged, which uses the technology to provide customised training aids for new medical devices, she said.

The company employs eight people in Dublin, most of whom are involved in research and development. It also has an office in the US. The manufacture of the simulators is outsourced to Gentian, in Shannon, Co Clare. Slevin says, while the US market was initially the most important, Japan, Pakistan, Indonesia and the Middle East are performing increasingly well.

The company received research and development funding from Enterprise Ireland and Slevin said the agency’s contacts were beneficial in targeting markets outside the US and Europe.

She said the company shortly hopes to sign a new distribution deal for its product in North America.