A Simulator for Training a Full Mastoidectomy Procedure

In this demo, we display the features of our simulation of a mastoidectomy, a surgical procedure in which a portion of the temporal bone is drilled away in order to access the inner ear. In our physical simulator, a hybrid data structure is maintained that allows computation of appropriate drill forces using rapid collision-detection in a spatially discretized volumetric voxel representation while graphically rendering a smooth triangular mesh that is modified in real-time as the voxels are drilled away. Realistic drill sounds, based on data recorded in a bone drilling laboratory, are produced, with frequencies giving cues to bone depth. Other graphical effects include bone dust and blood (both of which can be removed using a suction controlled by a second haptic device) rendered according to particle simulations, shadows, and detailed anatomical models of surrounding structures and of the inner ear.