Present and future developments of the virtual surgery and tele-virtual surgery system

One of the applications available now in the medical field is the virtual surgery system. This system allows surgeons a safe place to master surgical techniques and to plan surgical procedures before the operation. To provide the system for use in a clinical situation, a soft tissue model and a force feedback device suited for the surgery is required. In this paper, we would like to introduce our virtual surgery system, which possesses a soft tissue model that can show accurate, real-time deformation and is equipped with a force feedback device that allows the user to experience the tactile sensations. In addition, we will introduce our tele-virtual surgery simulation system for training in the procedures used in robotic surgery.