Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and software for providing a virtual environment with enhanced visual textures and haptic detail. In some embodiments, a texture atlas and UV mapping is used to render virtual objects having multiple textures that can be manipulated in real time. In some cases, UV coordinates are used to provide enhanced haptic detail.

A surgical training device is provided. The training device includes a model for practicing the passage of needle and suture. The model includes a base with a plurality of openings configured to receive a plurality of suture tabs. The suture tabs are made of elastomeric material. Some suture tabs includes pre-formed tab apertures for the passage of a suture. Other suture tabs include a penetrable area through which a suture needle may penetrate for passing a suture. The suture tabs are movable with respect to the base to orientate them at different angles with respect to the base. The base itself may include portions that are angled with respect to each other. The suture tabs are movable with respect to the base to pull, expose or open the tab apertures and surfaces. Some of the tab apertures are slits that open upon being pulled relative to the base requiring the user to practice holding the tab while passing the needle through the tab.

An optical tracking system for a medical equipment includes optical markers, optical sensors and a computing device. The optical markers are disposed on the medical equipment. The optical sensors optically sense the optical markers to respectively generate sensing signals. The computing device is coupled to the optical sensors for receiving the sensing signals, and comprises a surgical situation 3-D model. The computing device is configured to adjust a relative position between a virtual medical equipment object and a virtual surgical target object in the surgical situation 3-D model according to the sensing signals.

A needle access assembly and method for obtaining percutaneous needle access with little or no fluoroscopy is disclosed. The method includes selecting a target for percutaneous access, directing a laser guide at a desired needle-insertion angle and in line with the selected target, aligning the needle access assembly with the laser, and inserting the needle into the target.

A surgical training device is provided. The training device includes a model for practicing the passage of needle and suture. The model includes a base with a plurality of openings configured to receive a plurality of suture tabs. The suture tabs are made of elastomeric material. Some suture tabs includes pre-formed tab apertures for the passage of a suture. Other suture tabs include a penetrable area through which a suture needle may penetrate for passing a suture. The suture tabs are movable with respect to the base to orientate them at different angles with respect to the base. The base itself may include portions that are angled with respect to each other. The suture tabs are movable with respect to the base to pull, expose or open the tab apertures and surfaces. Some of the tab apertures are slits that open upon being pulled relative to the base requiring the user to practice holding the tab while passing the needle through the tab.

Methods and systems for position determination of an intrabody probe, targets of an intrabody probe, and or actions to be performed using an intrabody probe are described. In some embodiments, an anatomy being navigated and/or mapped is described by a rule-based schema relating different anatomically identified structures to one another according to their ability to help identify and/or locate one another. Additionally, in some embodiments, data recorded from the intrabody probe is processed according to schema rules in order to provide anatomical identification of the anatomical region which the intrabody probe is measuring, optionally without performing detailed mapping, and/or prior to the availability of detailed mapping of anatomical geometry.

The present embodiments herein relate to an improved needle design and control methodology for fractured directed guiding to a desired target. This system has the capability to control the insertion not only in 2D-plane, but also in 3D-space in a very controlled manner. A method of controlling the path of movement of a needle structure toward a target can include a stylet type of needle configuration or a water-jet needle configuration.

A method of preparing a wound model. The method includes simulating a non-healing wound edge, simulating eschar, simulating a fibrin layer, simulating biofilm, and simulating foreign debris.

A system and method of training how to se a medical device using an instrument such as a mock ultrasound probe or syringe to be tracked in 3D space with six degrees of freedom using an internal optical camera, a light source (e.g. infrared LEDs), and a display of markers arranged on a surface. By extracting corner information for each marker, a 3D transformation can be established, allowing the system to know the instrument's position and orientation in 3D space relative to that marker. Each marker also encodes a numerical value corresponding to its predetermined position and orientation on the surface, allowing the instrument to determine its own position and orientation relative to the surface. Thus, as long as the instrument is able to see at least one marker on an optical surface, the system will know its full 3D position and orientation relative to the whole optical surface.

The present disclosure relates to a surgical simulation arrangement for a user handling a simulation instrument, allowing for simulation improvements when simulating e.g. a laparoscopic, arthroscopic or thoracoscopic procedure. The present disclosure also relates to a haptic user interface device for use with a surgical simulation system.