UK firm claims haptic VR surgery simulation can cost less than a cadaver

The company’s Surgical Haptic Intelligence Engine (SHIE) is designed to mimic the feel of operating on various types of human tissue, from subcutaneous fat to muscle and bone. Combined with off-the-shelf VR devices and standard haptic hardware, the platform can act as an immersive training tool for surgeons in waiting. Already available in the UK, the platform has now launched in the US, where the initial rollout will feature training packages for orthopaedic surgery, including spinal pedicle screw placement, posterior hip replacement and total knee arthroplasty.

“It involves creating ‘Haptic Actions’ which define the interactions between the surgical tools and the patient’s virtual anatomy,” Richard Vincent, CEO of FundamentalVR, told The Engineer. “To do this we create haptic baselines through close consultation with our Global Medical Panel, senior clinicians, comprising a range of surgical specialisms and then, with our unique calibration tools we are able to refine these through the development process to achieve the appropriate interaction. This requires a deep understanding of tissue behaviour under various conditions aligned with deep physics and mathematical computation.”