Design of a Medical Training Simulator for Laparoscopic Appendectomy with Haptic Grip and Touch Feedback

This work develops the mechanical, electronic and control design of a simulator model with haptic feedback for laparoscopic appendectomy, with the purpose of improving laparoscopic surgical skills in a training environment. This system is designed so that the user will be able to visualize the virtual environment and its interaction with it through the screen. Learning to perform laparoscopic surgery requires environments and approaches that improve the dexterity in the handling of surgical instruments and optimize the practice, which are achieved with the presented system. The simulator employs haptic feedback, that is to say, the user will be able to have a realistic interaction with the tissues or internal organs. The system will: give feedback to the user with sensations to bring them closer to reality; simulate surgical equipment; and, reproduce an environment that accurately reflects the anatomy of the abdominal region surrounding the appendix. The user's progress data is recorded and displayed in real time. The mechanical design considers the analysis of designed components and their resistance in this work; the electronic design contemplates the selection of the electronic components as well as the image processing; and the control design considers the control strategy chosen for every part of the system controlled.