A Virtual Reality enhanced Cyber Physical Framework to support Simulation based Training of Orthopedic Surgical Procedures

This paper focuses on the design of a Next Generation Cyber Physical Framework involving the development of Virtual and Mixed Reality environments to support simulation based training of orthopedic surgery residents. The training simulators are the part of an advanced Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) based cyber physical framework. The training simulators are designed for an orthopedic surgical process called Condylar plating surgery which deals with the fractures of the femur bone. The first simulator is a VR training environment which has a fully immersive interface developed using the HTC Vive™ platform. The second is a Mixed Reality based training environment developed using unique greenscreen technology in which the users can interact with the virtual and the real world objects at the same time. Studies have been conducted which indicated that medical students and residents showed improvement in their understanding of the surgical process after interacting with the training simulators. Furthermore, the qualitative analysis presented in the paper shows that the simulators can be utilized as a useful tool in training students and residents in Condylar plating surgical process.