Projects

Everest

Details

A

Date

01/11/2013 - 31/10/2016
A

Funding

ANR

Description

EVEREST research project funded by ANR (l’Agence National de la Recherche) is a project that aims at creation of Virtual Platform for Surgical Training. In this context, Flexible endoscopy is a minimally invasive surgical technique that remains very challenging to learn. We have developed a first version of a training simulator using advanced physics and real-time computation. A final prototype of the simulator is scheduled for delivery mid-2019. The projects consists of the following steps:

  • Development of the endoscopy simulator: Ex-vivo, in-vivo feasibility study with Xsens (operator) and Aurora tracking systems (endoscope).
  • Development of the tracking method.
  • Validation of a ‘machine learning’  and ‘dynamic time warping’ method for movements recognition during endoscopic gestures.
  • Writing of a clinical protocol «Study of both operator and endoscope movements during digestive endoscopy ».
Our team is a partner for the organization of flexible endoscopy courses by prototyping a first version of a low cost simulator of flexible endoscopy based on an hardware component (developed in collaboration with the University of Twente, the Netherlands) and a software component simulating the movement of the flexible endoscope and the interactions with its environment.
We are also involved in real-time simulation of the parametric endoscope from real-life experiments, in a free work space.
Through a collaboration with ToysFilm company the development of a serious-gaming version of this simulator is underway, aiming at training endoscopy skills with a funny/challenging virtual and easy accessible tool.