SBIR Phase I: Enhancing STEM Education via Virtual Reality Medical Simulation

该项目将探索如何将外科模拟开发技术应用于K-12 STEM教育。我们将开发一个数字解剖基于一个完整的模拟动物标本完成身临其境的环境，触觉感觉，和准确的组织特性。该系统将具有可重复使用、不产生重复成本、无菌、更安全（无手术刀刀片）和随时可用的优点，从而促进重复实践。加强高中STEM教育有利于学生，也符合国家吸引和留住STEM教育学生的努力。该项目将吸引学生进入全面的STEM体验，使他们能够磨练手术技术等技能，并无痛地向学生介绍以前可能没有考虑过的职业选择。至少，这个项目能让你尽早直接接触到医学事业。此外，它有可能减少使用动物进行训练。该项目的目标是显著提高模拟器系统中实时有限元分析的能力，通过创造目前仅限于专业水平培训的新体验来增强/扩展课堂教育。它将应用相同的逼真界面，例如，具有模仿现实生活的外观和感觉，用于训练外科医生的高保真模拟器，用于高中生物教室。这将使学生在不使用动物的情况下进行动物解剖，在一个环境中，不仅提供类似的学习经验，而且教授适当的技术，允许犯错误和纠正，并允许实践建立熟练程度的标准。仿真系统可以模拟1-、2-和3D组织物理；复制身体组织的特性；并连接到界面设备，如触觉系统和虚拟现实（VR）显示器。Aim 1将为模拟器系统增加更广泛的计算能力，扩展其可以支持的场景类型。目标2将创建一个实时的、基于物理的虚拟动物解剖模拟器，配备世界一流的触觉技术。目标3将需要与教育专家合作，以确保与STEM课程保持一致。长期愿景包括广泛的应用，学生可以使用定制版本的系统创建自己的计算机模拟/场景。

This project will explore how surgical simulation development technology may be applied to K-12 STEM education. We will develop a digital dissection based on a complete simulation of an animal specimen complete with an immersive environment, haptic feel, and accurate tissue properties. The proposed system will have the advantage of being reusable, not incurring recurring costs, being aseptic, safer (no scalpel blades), and being available at all times, thus facilitating repeated practice. Enhancing high school STEM benefits students and aligns with national efforts to attract and retain students in STEM education. This project will draw students into a comprehensive STEM experience, allowing them to hone skills such as surgical technique and painlessly introduce career options to students that may not have been considered previously. At minimum, this project gives early direct exposure to medical careers. In addition, it has the potential to reduce the use of animals for training.The project goal is to significantly increase the ability of the real-time finite element analysis in the simulator system to enhance/extend classroom education by creating new experiences that today are limited to specialized professional-level training. It will apply the same realistic interface, e.g., with a look and feel that mimics real life, of high fidelity simulators used to train surgeons, to the high school biology classroom. This will enable students to perform animal dissections without using animals, in an environment that offers not only an analogous learning experience but one that teaches proper technique, allows mistakes to be made and corrected, and allows practice to established standards of proficiency. The simulator system can simulate 1-, 2-, and 3D tissue physics; replicate properties of body tissues; and connect to interface devices such as haptic systems and virtual reality (VR) displays. Aim 1 will add broader computation capability to the simulator system, extending the types of scenarios it can support. Aim 2 will create a real-time, physics-based virtual animal dissection simulator equipped with world-class haptics technology. Aim 3 will entail working with educational experts to ensure alignment with the STEM curriculum. The long-term vision encompasses a broad application in which students create computer simulations/scenarios on their own using tailored versions of the system.