About
The HaptiLap laparoscopic surgical simulator is a virtual reality software (and hardware) system for the training in surgical procedures using haptic (force) feedback and 3D (stereoscopic) display.
HaptiLap is a unique combination of: PC software, custom designed mechanical hardware and haptic devices, that allows surgeons to practice laparoscopic techniques. The software offers more realism, more functionality and more complex procedures than any alternative.
HaptiLap was selected by the IET as a finalist for their prestigious international Innovations Awards (2011).
HaptiLap was formerly known as Empedocles
It is used by
paediatric surgeons at the RBHSC to
investigate the potential of VR training, their findings have been
reported at medical conferences; e.g. BAPES and
ESPES (European
Society for Paediatric Endoscopic Surgery.). A
senior consultant who examines for NIMTA and the Royal College of
Surgeons has said “
HaptiLap is a very powerful tool with the potential to be adaptable
and widely available, due to its extremely low cost. The fact that it
can be used to simulate complex procedures, such as Fundoplication with
complex anatomical detail and collision forces, makes it a very exiting
innovation, and gives it the potential to outstrip the mechanical
training aids, still in wide use today. I am involved locally and
nationally in developing the training for the next generation of
surgeons, I believe that HaptiLap has already demonstrated its
potential (including, at the BAPS meetings, Belfast 2011) and would be
widely welcomed in the surgical training community.”
Regulatory changes and changes in training practices (limitation in
hours of operative training exposure) make it imperative that surgeons
in training can get extended access to high quality training tools and
develop transferable skills to improve patient care and safety. There is
a need to recognise that expenditure is cost effective and sustainable,
this is precisely the function that HaptiLap fulfills.
The software is optimized for maximum processor performance, threads of execution separate the functions: suturing, deformation, UI, haptics and graphics. GPU shaders facilitate enhanced realism, (e.g. particle blood/fluid models.)