Surgical training and performance assessment using a motion tracking system

Laparoscopic surgery is a newly developed surgical technology that can minimize recovery time. However, with this procedure surgeons lose many of the tactile and visual cues that they rely upon in conventional surgery. Current research and commercial products focus on virtual simulation of procedures, generation of haptic feedback for training, and automated control of the laparoscope in the operating room (OR). This paper discusses a surgical training and assessment system that provides unique sensing and reasoning capabilities for laparoscopic surgery. The system implements an inference module to process information acquired from sensors, and offers real-time guidance capability that will enhance sensory input for surgeons. A training device prototype has been developed. Future research work will focus on developing the technology as a surgical assistant system for use in the OR.