Touch-Enabled Medical Training Expands
BUSINESS WIRE
LONG BEACH, Calif. & WOBURN, Mass. — At the Medicine Meets Virtual Reality (MMVR) conference opening today in Long Beach, SensAble Technologies, Inc, a leading provider of haptic devices, toolkits and 3D modeling applications, is highlighting novel touch-enabled applications using the company’s haptic devices and software that show how SensAble sets the standard for innovative touch-enabled medical training and simulation.
These include a skin cancer punch-biopsy training application already piloted by 7 medical schools, and a spinal implant training application that prevents physicians from harmful radiation exposure. SensAble also is showcasing advanced haptic capabilities for medical simulation made easier by its just-released OpenHaptics version 3.0 software development toolkit for creating touch-enabled applications.
Surgeons need between 60 and 500 repetitions of a procedure to achieve proficiency1 yet medical schools usually provide 10 to 20 repetitions on cadavers, with the rest of training left to supervised surgery. Touch-enabled computer simulation and training applications are on the rise as a practical way to enhance surgical training, reduce risks for patients and doctors, and measure proficiency. Studies show that touch-enabled training where students use a precision force-feedback haptic device improves skill acquisition2, while presenting zero risk to patients, decreasing operating room and instructor time, and allowing clinicians unlimited practice in a realistic setting as their performance is measured and tallied.