Defining Spatial Regions in Computer-Assisted Laparoscopic Surgical Training

To provide appropriate guidance in minimally invasive surgical training (and potentially an additional safety measure in the operating room), we propose a model called a "No-Fly Zone" based on the situational awareness enhancing system. By defining the configuration space of the instrument, a collision free region is defined. If an intrusion occurs into the no-fly region space, the system provides audio, visual, and haptic feedback to reinforce an appropriate maneuver. The proposed method is intended to refine surgical skills and to improve the patient safety. Usability experiment will be performed to test the system.