Sabina Kamińska, a Ph.D. student at the Health Informatics team of Sano, successfully presented the new, improved version of the simulator for training core manual skills for Spina Bifida repair, designed by the team, at the 31st International Congress of the European Association for Endoscopic Surgery in Rome, 20-23 June. The new version of the simulator is equipped with support for high-fidelity laparoscopic haptic device with force-feedback in all 4 degrees-of-freedom as well as with simulation irrigation and suturing of myofascial flaps with a patch.

The conference showed that the work of the team is future-proof and Sano can be proud of what is already achieved. Projects of the Health Informatics team are true innovations in the field of AR and VR, as well as in robotic surgery.

Spina Bifida is a birth defect that occurs during pregnancy when the spine does not close properly around the spinal cord. There is growing interest in fetoscopic SB repair, which is performed in the uterus on fetuses. However, training for such procedures is difficult and requires excellent procedural skills. Virtual reality simulation systems offer a safe, cost-effective, and configurable training environment that is free from ethical and patient safety issues.