This contribution on learning and training sensorimotor tasks presents a new platform for the acquisition of surgery skills.

The paper begins with a thorough motivation of the need for a new approach in training and learning, based on practical limitations. According to the authors, trainees commonly learn about a task from books, lectures, and videos; observe mentors performing the task; and then undertake the procedure in a clinical environment, under the mentor’s supervision. Safeguards typically prevent initial trials and errors. This approach has “limited applicability for safety-critical tasks and for partially blindfolded activities heavily relying on haptics, as commonly found in surgery.” A suitable virtual reality environment that meets all the necessary requirements for such a training system could help surgeons learn these essential tasks in less time and with lower risk to patients.

The authors present a platform designed to provide training on maxillofacial surgery, and more precisely the Epker osteotomy. This procedure is subject to several risks, and can be difficult to study because it relies on fine haptic cues, as the operating field is not visually observable.

The platform has been designed for training, not surgery per se, and features characteristics such as “bimanual force feedback interaction with high stiffness [... and] easy handling of a variety of surgical tools.” This enables subtle motor actions, and the ability to capture the motion and the position of the surgeon and the force being applied while providing multimodal feedback, including haptic, visual, and audio cues.

The platform is equipped with “a force feedback interface allowing reproduction of the movements, forces, and stiffness within specified ranges, and an active handle capable of tactile rendering up to 1 kHz.” Physically, it is housed in an easily transportable mobile cabinet with two parts: the upper part holds the input/output devices, and the lower part holds the computer hardware and software.

After a description of the platform, the paper discusses results of experiments carried out with novice, intermediate, and expert surgeons. The authors conclude that its usage develops and improves the surgeons’ skills according to traditional sensorimotor training schemes, while distinguishing between these three categories of surgeons based on their performance, thus bringing efficiency into the training processes.

The paper provides a very thorough description and discussion of all facets of this new platform. I recommend it for medical professionals, students, and scholars, for software and mechanical engineers, and for manufacturers interested or active in the surgical domain.