A New Robotic Platform for Endoscopic Skill Training

Background: Applications of Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) techniques are quickly extending. Therefore, also surgical education is changing rapidly, although several factors, including budget constraints and medico-legal concerns, still limit opportunities for pediatric trainees. New training devices, such as low fidelity bench trainers and virtual reality simulators, offer new ways for surgical training. Moreover, there is considerable interest in the development of haptic simulators for MIS even though the importance of force feedback remains poorly understood. Methods: In this report, we present the LapLab (Laparoscopic Laboratory) device, an innovative laparoscopic training solution developed at the University of Bologna. Results: LapLab is a haptic simulator for MIS designed to improve and test the skill of surgeons. Moreover, it also allows to test in safe conditions (i.e. by means of realistic simulations) new kinds of MIS instruments. Conclusions: Actually the LapLab simulation system has matured from a technological point of view, but still it represents just a starting point for a new generation of simulation systems able to give a real contribute to the education and training of the surgeons of tomorrow