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The veterinary students prepare for surgery class. But they are not washing their hands or sterilizing their instruments. Is this characteristic of one of the best veterinary programs in the country? Actually, yes.
Michigan State University is establishing a curriculum for its School of Veterinary Medicine that will transform surgical instruction. The technology behind the new teaching methods is virtual reality. Virtual reality is a fairly new science, involving the creation of a three-dimensional, interactive, computerized environment. Among its hundreds of applications, medical procedures have been among the first to be developed.
In order to create a virtual environment, one must have two basic elements. The first is the hardware, such as head-mounted devices and tactile instruments. The head-mounted devices (HMD) are worn by the user, and are used to view the three-dimensional virtual environment. HMD come in several forms, such as helmets and special goggles. Tactile instruments give the user the illusion of touch. For example, a wand can be used as a scalpel; the user cuts into the virtual patient’s muscle and can feel when the scalpel “hits” bone.
The second component is software, which is used to create the environment. Today, several graphics packages offer the detail and three-dimensional quality that can be used to reproduce everyday objects.
Applications of virtual reality in the medical field revolve mainly around educational and training purposes. Three-dimensional models of body parts can be used to teach basic anatomy, bodily processes, and how disease affects the body, as well as train students in performing common medical procedures (such as administering injections) and surgical procedures. Virtual reality can also be used by physicians and surgeons. For example, physicians can show their patients how their illnesses are affecting their bodies. Surgeons may use virtual surgery to perfect their own techniques. For example, a surgeon can create a virtual situation identical to that of her/his patient, and thus practice the surgery before actually performing it.
Most of the developments in the field have been contributions to human medicine. However, the same procedures may be used with regard to veterinary science. One of the main benefits of this technology is the reduction in the number of animals needed for educational purposes. Students also have no limits to the number of times they can practice a procedure. Learning can also be made easier by the ability of the user to manipulate the image. For example, a virtual dog’s abdominal cavity may be enlarged, so that students can walk around inside of it. One important point must be made here: Virtual surgery techniques are by no means intended to replace actual surgical training, but rather to offer alternatives to the use of actual animals.
The Department of Telecommunication at Michigan State University recently established the Media Interface and Network Design (M.I.N.D.) Lab—a facility which specializes in the development of virtual environments. The M.I.N.D. Lab is working with the University’s School of Veterinary Medicine to build several “virtual surgery” environments for a new curriculum. The goals of this new project, called the MSU Vet-Med Animal Simulator Project, include providing additional surgical training and developing new methods for surgical instruction. Among the procedures being transferred into virtual reality are endotracheal intubation, ovariohysterectomy and castration, intravenous catheterization, and venipuncture.
The project is still in its early stages; currently, the staff is working on developing realistic models. Other problems native to virtual reality have also appeared on this project, such as development of realistic tactile senses and slow scene-updating rate.
The M.I.N.D. Lab officially opened on March 18, 1998. If you would like to learn more about the M.I.N.D. Lab, please visit our website at http://www.mindlab.msu.edu
This article appeared in the Animal Welfare Information Center Bulletin, Volume 9, Number 1/2, Fall 1998
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