Virtual Environment for the Training of the Hands in Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery

The hand and eye coordination of the surgeon is one of the most important factor minimally invasive thoracic surgery. Virtual Simulation is a powerful training tool in surgery. At present, the main problems of the learning process are to reduce the learning time and to improve specific skills by the simulation. There are different options to perform tests: working with animals, with artificial tissues to simulate the pressure, and even simulators through joystick. The main disadvantage is the high cost of this systems and the complexity to replicate the situation during a real operations. In this paper, a virtual reality system is presented. This system allows to reduce the learning time and to improve the hand and eye coodination of the surgeon. Moreover, it is a low cost, portable and easy-to-use solution for future surgeons.