Virtual reality extensions into surgical training and teleoperation

Virtual reality simulation of surgery and scientific experiments help in preparation, training, and assessment. These benefits can be further extended with the integration of robotics for teleoperation and assistance. We describe our efforts to build a realistic and useable simulation for astronaut training and experiment planning. During development we focused on extending the simulation to real world interaction by adding registration and robotic components. Accurate registration, calibration, and robotic integration helped build a foundation for a useable simulation for astronaut training on ground and avenues of robotic assistance during flight.