Serious game for psychomotor skills training in minimally invasive surgery: Kheiron Training System

Abstract

Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) requires particular training of different psychomotor skills. To safely train these skills outside of the operating room, physical simulators, also called box trainers, are usually employed The application of ICT-based technologies, such as serious gaming and e-learning, to MIS training could provide final users (medical students and surgeons) with a novel tool to acquire basic psychomotor skills. This work presents the Kheiron Training System (KTS), a serious game specifically designed and developed for psychomotor skills training in MIS. The KTS serious game uses a box-trainer and actual surgical instruments as input devices. Movements are detected using an image-based tracking that calculates the 3D position of the instruments within the boxtrainer. This information streamed to the game controller. This together with the game engine controls the gameplay logic. In addition to the main game play, integration with a game server is also provided to allow for social elements. The KTS serious game is carried out in the desk of a young alchemist in his/her quest in finding the Philosopher?s Stone. The player is required to complete a set of mini-quests included in the Recipe Book, which serves as guideline along the game.