Invited Talk January 2007

Invited Talk by Prof. Gabor Szekely

Prof. Gabor Szekely (Computer Vision Laboratory, ETH Zürich) will be giving an invited talk on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 13:00, in Garching, Room MI 03.13.010. on "Virtual and Augmented Reality Based Simulation for Surgical Skill Training"

Abstract: Virtual reality based simulation of medical procedures has become a rapidly developing research area during the past decade. A large number of academic and commercial systems have been developed, offering the possibility for training and planning procedures for a very wide spectrum of applications. Nevertheless, until recently the realistic simulation of complete interventions in real-time, as necessary for advanced skill training, has been impossible due to numerous technological barriers. Thanks to significant advances in algorithmic and hardware development during the past few years, high fidelity training simulation is today within reach, at least for some selected interventions especially in minimally invasive surgery. The talk will analyze recent results with special emphasis on anatomical scene generation, modeling and simulation of tissue behavior and development of virtual surgical instruments. The power of these techniques will be demonstrated on a simulator system allowing the training of diagnostic and therapeutic hysteroscopic interventions.

In many cases it is very difficult, if not impossible, to achieve the necessary level of realism by just relying on virtual reality technology. The major reason for this deficiency lies in providing realistic haptic feedback when handling hard tissues (like bones) or when the surgeon is interacting with the tissue directly by his/her hands. In principle, augmented reality offers an elegant solution to such problems. Unfortunately, no similarly mature technology is available today, as compared to VR-based simulation. The talk will also summarize current efforts and achievements on the field, which will hopefully open the way for highly realistic, multi-modal augmented reality-based simulation environments.