As my syringe presses against the skin and muscle surrounding a patient’s knee joint, I feel a brief resistance. A gentle increase in pressure, though, and the needle pops through, ready to inject the drug. But this isn’t a real patient or syringe – they’re both virtual.
I am taking part in a training simulation created by a London-based firm called FundamentalVR. It allows me to view my patient in virtual reality and perform knee surgery with a stylus that gives haptic feedback, so I can feel the different layers of tissue. The simulation is designed for surgeons who must learn how to properly inject a drug during surgery to provide post-operative pain relief.
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