A New Platform for Basic and Advanced Endoscopic Skills Training

The applications of Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) are rapidly expanding. Surgical education is changing rapidly as several factors including budget constraints and medico-legal concerns limit opportunities for pediatric trainees. New methods of skills training such as low fidelity bench trainers and virtual reality simulators offer new avenues for surgical education. While many surgeons feel that the use of minimally invasive techniques eliminates force feedback and tactile sensation, the importance of haptics in MIS has not been fully evaluated. Moreover, there is considerable interest in the development of haptic simulators for MIS even though the importance of force feedback remains poorly understood.