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. 2023 Jan;18(1):85-93.
doi: 10.1007/s11548-022-02727-8. Epub 2022 Aug 7.

The user experience design of a novel microscope within SurgiSim, a virtual reality surgical simulator

Madeleine de Lotbiniere-Bassett  1   2 , Arthur Volpato Batista  3 , Carolyn Lai  4 , Trishia El Chemaly  5 , Joseph Dort  3 , Nikolas Blevins  6 , Justin Lui  3
Affiliations

The user experience design of a novel microscope within SurgiSim, a virtual reality surgical simulator

Madeleine de Lotbiniere-Bassett et al. Int J Comput Assist Radiol Surg. 2023 Jan.

Abstract

Purpose: Virtual reality (VR) simulation has the potential to advance surgical education, procedural planning, and intraoperative guidance. "SurgiSim" is a VR platform developed for the rehearsal of complex procedures using patient-specific anatomy, high-fidelity stereoscopic graphics, and haptic feedback. SurgiSim is the first VR simulator to include a virtual operating room microscope. We describe the process of designing and refining the VR microscope user experience (UX) and user interaction (UI) to optimize surgical rehearsal and education.

Methods: Human-centered VR design principles were applied in the design of the SurgiSim microscope to optimize the user's sense of presence. Throughout the UX's development, the team of developers met regularly with surgeons to gather end-user feedback. Supplemental testing was performed on four participants.

Results: Through observation and participant feedback, we made iterative design upgrades to the SurgiSim platform. We identified the following key characteristics of the VR microscope UI: overall appearance, hand controller interface, and microscope movement.

Conclusion: Our design process identified challenges arising from the disparity between VR and physical environments that pertain to microscope education and deployment. These roadblocks were addressed using creative solutions. Future studies will investigate the efficacy of VR surgical microscope training on real-world microscope skills as assessed by validated performance metrics.

Keywords: Medical education; Microscope; Microsurgery; Surgery; Surgical simulation; Virtual reality.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
A surgeon wearing an Oculus Rift S with his left hand holding a controller and his right hand holding a haptic hand controller
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Comparison of SurgiSim microscope (a) and the ZEISS (Carl Zeiss AG, Germany) Kinevo® 900 surgical microscope (b), after which it was modeled. The user’s hands, the tray, a surgical specimen, and the surgical table can be seen below the microscope, with the television screen in the background. The projected specimen was provided courtesy of Stanford NeuroTraIn
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Comparison of the ZEISS (Carl Zeiss AG, Germany) Kinevo® 900 surgical microscope handle and the SurgiSim VR surgical microscope handle
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Illustration of the Oculus Quest 2 hand controllers with labels indicating their function within the SurgiSim environment
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Screenshot of microscopic view with the OR layout map visualized at the bottom of the user’s field of view
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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