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Print Edition StoriesWoburn-based haptic products maker SensAble Technologies Inc. this week is showcasing new software and hardware medical training offerings based on its technology.
The idea behind its haptic devices, toolkits, and 3-D modeling applications, the company explained, is that it wants to create a virtual reality environment for use in medical simulation to reduce patient risk and expense. It also allows doctors and other medical care staff to perfect their various tasks while requiring less manpower because the SensAble software and devices oversee the doctor during the training process, eliminating the need for an instructor.
To that end, the company today is expected to show a new toolkit as well as simulation products at the Medicine Meets Virtual Reality (MMVR) conference opening in Long Beach, Calif. Among the new technologies being demonstrated is a skin cancer punch-biopsy training application based on the SensAble platform, which is currently being piloted by seven medical schools. The application is being developed by the Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC) and is undergoing additional testing and refinements using features from SensAble’s new software development toolkit, OpenHaptics version 3.0. The simulation relies on SensAble’s Phantom haptic device to provide force feedback to show the student the optimal placement and the expected sensation of obtaining skin punch samples on different parts of the body.
Another SensAble-based technology being demonstrated is a spinal implant training application created by Simulution for Zimmer Spine. Usually, surgeons must practice the implant procedure on cadavers while viewing a fluoroscopic image to determine the exact placement of the pedicle screw, exposing them to radiation. Now, surgeons practice without radiation exposure using a Phantom haptic device in place of the canulation tool and screwdriver.
SensAble Technologies was founded 1993 and has 34 patents and more than 7,000 systems installed worldwide.
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