Project Description:
Information cues available in laparoscopy and other forms of minimally invasive surgery are impoverished relative to cues available in open surgery. Acquiring surgical skill in such an environment is extremely challenging. Even after mastery, continued practice can lead to problems for the surgeon as indicated by frequent incidence of pain and injury associated with laparoscopy. The long-term impact on the surgeon performing these procedures is largely unknown.

The goal of this work is to develop and test new technologies that will break down the barriers that block more surgeons from attaining and continuing to practice (without injury or pain) high levels of skill in MIS. This project will develop new technology by concentrating on three major research thrusts:

Smart Image: The project will develop and evaluate new approaches for extracting, fusing, and presenting information cues from imagery and other data sources. Techniques for reconstruction, enhancement and visualization will improve image presentation to the surgeon, and transform the surgeon's awareness of the context and the precision with which the surgeon can make and execute critical decisions during a complex surgical procedure.

Configurable Display: The project will develop new approaches for presenting existing data (video, CT data) and extracted cues (3D reconstruction, haptic cues, etc.) to the user within a flexible, configurable display environment.

Ergonomic Assessment: The project will use existing technology and build new techniques as needed to acquire crucial ergonomic data relative to key factors of patient position, technology configuration, and instrument design. The design and use of new assessment methodologies in trainer/simulation environments and in surgical settings will reveal ergonomic factors. Kinematics and kinetic data will be used to evaluate and determine basic movement patterns and possible ergonomic risk factors associated with MIS.

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