A new handheld ultrasound probe simulator for medical training

Ultrasound (US) is a first-line medical imaging modality that is used for a wide range of medical indications. Despite their known advantages, such as real-time capability, low-cost, and radiation-free, US images are affected by speckle noise and imaging artifacts, requiring specific medical training to handle the probe and to evaluate the acquired images. In this study, we developed a multi-platform US simulator that can be used in medical education to accelerate the learning curve in probe handling and US images interpretation. The proposed solution consists of a physical portable mock-up probe and a software application that allows the real-time estimation of 2D US images of specific anatomy according to the physical probe's orientation and pressure. The portable probe has an Inertial Measurement Unit that sends the pose's information to the application via wireless communication, reslicing a template 3D volume of the anatomy according to the pose and generating the 2D image. Moreover, a silicone-based pressure sensor was attached to the probe tip to measure the force applied by the operator and to mimic the influence of the tissue's compression by the probe in the image generation process. The proposed system was evaluated in terms of precision and accuracy of the orientation estimation strategy, and linearity of the pressure sensor. The probe has a precision of 0.32°, an accuracy of 3.64°, and the pressure sensor has good linearity (R=0.9989). Overall, the developed portable probe showed potential to be used for medical training.