Article
The influence of haptic force feedback on learning curves for a neurosurgical VR simulator
Der Einfluss haptischer Kraftrückführung auf die Lernkurven an einem neurochirurgischen VR-Simulator
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Published: | April 11, 2007 |
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Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of haptic force feedback on learning curves for a neurosurgical VR-simulator.
Methods: 60 subjects (40 students and 20 experts in endoscopic surgery) performed endoscopic virtual third ventriculostomy on a “haptic io”-simulator which offers a haptic force feedback. The participants were randomized into four groups: experienced surgeons using haptic force feedback (n=10), experienced surgeons not using haptic force feedback (n=10), students using haptic force feedback (n=20), students not using haptic force feedback (n=20). The participants trained the operation 10 times. A second series of 5 training procedures was carried out after a break of one week. The parameters: time used, number of wall collisions, number of fatal failures and economy of handmovement were recorded. The learning curves of the groups with haptic force feedback and without haptic force feedback were compared.
Results: Learning curves of time used and number of wall collisions showed a significant learning effect for every subject. (Median time was 155 sec for the first training cycle vs. 59 for the last one, the median of wall collisions at first cycle was 72 vs. 28 at last one) No significant difference was shown for economy of handmovement. The evaluation showed no significant difference between the groups with and without haptic force feedback.
Conclusions: The learning effects indicate an improvement of the subject's endoscopic skills and confirm former studies. There was no significant better performance using haptic force feedback in this model. Optic feedback seems to be crucial in virtual endoscopic ventriculostomy. The lack of additional benefit of haptic force feedback on learning curves may be due to the limited steps of tissue preparation in endoscopic third ventriculostomy.