Date of Award

2009

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Engineering Science

Program

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Supervisor

Dr. Hanif M. Ladak

Second Advisor

Dr. Sumit K. Agrawal

Third Advisor

Dr. Rajni V. Patel

Abstract

Myringotomy is a surgical procedure in which an incision is made in the eardrum, primarily to treat middle-ear infections. It is a difficult procedure for surgical residents to master because excellent hand-eye coordination is required to work under a surgical microscope and within the narrow ear canal. We have been developing a virtual-reality based surgical simulator for training residents. The current simulator does not include tactile feedback, but such feedback is a very important part of ear surgery. Therefore, the objectives of this work were to incorporate haptic feedback capability into our simulator, estimate the haptic parameter for the eardrum and perform a face validity study to test the effectiveness of the simulator. The results from the face validity study are very encouraging. The simulator is the first of its kind, and with further refinement has excellent potential to be of benefit in the training of proficient surgical residents.

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