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The user experience design of a novel microscope within SurgiSim, a virtual reality surgical simulator

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International Journal of Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Virtual reality (VR) simulation has the potential to advance surgical education, procedural planning, and intraoperative guidance. “SurgiSim” is a VR platform developed for the rehearsal of complex procedures using patient-specific anatomy, high-fidelity stereoscopic graphics, and haptic feedback. SurgiSim is the first VR simulator to include a virtual operating room microscope. We describe the process of designing and refining the VR microscope user experience (UX) and user interaction (UI) to optimize surgical rehearsal and education.

Methods

Human-centered VR design principles were applied in the design of the SurgiSim microscope to optimize the user’s sense of presence. Throughout the UX’s development, the team of developers met regularly with surgeons to gather end-user feedback. Supplemental testing was performed on four participants.

Results

Through observation and participant feedback, we made iterative design upgrades to the SurgiSim platform. We identified the following key characteristics of the VR microscope UI: overall appearance, hand controller interface, and microscope movement.

Conclusion

Our design process identified challenges arising from the disparity between VR and physical environments that pertain to microscope education and deployment. These roadblocks were addressed using creative solutions. Future studies will investigate the efficacy of VR surgical microscope training on real-world microscope skills as assessed by validated performance metrics.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Ohlson Research Initiative and the Karren Family Endowment at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary.

Funding

No funding was received to assist with the preparation of this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Madeleine de Lotbiniere-Bassett

  2. Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Trishia El Chemaly

  3. Department of Otolaryngology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Nikolas Blevins

  4. Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Division of Neurosurgery, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Madeleine de Lotbiniere-Bassett

  5. Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Arthur Volpato Batista, Joseph Dort & Justin Lui

  6. Department of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Carolyn Lai

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Contributions

Material preparation was performed by MdLB, AVB, and TEC. MdLB, AVB, CL, TEC, JD, NB, and JL were involved in project conception and design. The first draft of the manuscript was written by MdLB, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Madeleine de Lotbiniere-Bassett.

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de Lotbiniere-Bassett, M., Volpato Batista, A., Lai, C. et al. The user experience design of a novel microscope within SurgiSim, a virtual reality surgical simulator. Int J CARS 18, 85–93 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11548-022-02727-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11548-022-02727-8

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