Progress Report #2
Progress Report #2
11/11/2014
The most recent phase of our project involved gathering materials and making plans to construct our first prototype. Our project advisors, Dr. Ted Anderson and Dr. May Thomassee gave us a hard plastic replica of a cervix and uterus, which we plan to cut open to create a clamshell-like model for our hysteroscopic surgery simulator. The clamshell design will allow us to open it up and make adjustments to the inside sensors and close it back up to simulate a real surgery. We have also ordered a small fiber-optic lighted camera that connects to a computer via USB to connect to the hysteroscope to record and visualize the surgery as the surgeon performs it in the model.
In addition to ordering initial supplies for the prototype, we also brainstormed and researched ideas for how to best to detect the actions and tasks performed within the uterus model during surgery simulation. For example, one requirement of the surgery is to not touch the walls of the uterus with the surgical instruments because this is a leading cause of injury. As a way to reduce this occurrence, we discussed two methods of detecting instrument to uterus contact. One involved installing pressure sensors or touch screens on the inside wall of the uterus model, which would sense if and where they were in contact with the surgical instrument. Another option is to install conductive material along the inside of the uterus wall and have the tip of the surgical instrument also be conductive, so that when they are in contact, an electrical circuit is complete and this registers the connection. We plan on continuing to research these methods and try them in our first prototype.
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