Joan Lockhart, VP of Sales and Marketing, Geomagic Sensable Group
"To advance and apply 3D technology for the benefit of humanity." That's my newly acquired company mission statement, and when I first heard it, I will admit, it seemed rather lofty! But in fact, Geomagic's products are used to support that mission every day. Here's a great example of how one of our OEM partners is using the Sensable Phantom® force-feedback haptic devices (now owned by Geomagic) to improve the lives of people affected by neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injury.
Training physicians on procedures that rely on learning by feel.'
(Image left: Allergan's new cystoscopy simulator, developed by ToLTech, helps physicians learn and achieve competency with a Phantom® touch-enabled haptic device fitted with a syringe, and realistic 3D graphics.)
Touch of Life Technologies (ToLTech) has developed a virtual reality cystoscopy simulator for Allergan, to train and evaluate urologists on the new procedure of injecting BOTOX® (onabotulinumtoxinA) into a muscle of the bladder to treat incontinence in adults with overactive bladder due to neurologic condition.
The cystoscopy and injection trainer manipulates image data to simulate the look and feel of a human bladder. A Geomagic Phantom haptic device is used so that the physician actually"feels" the resistance to the needle as it penetrates the muscle of the bladder wall, according to Vic Spitzer, CEO of ToLTech.
This technically advanced simulator provides urologists with a realistic and accurate training and evaluation method to help them become experienced at injecting BOTOX® into the bladder. The simulator is part of Allergan's overall training platform for this novel treatment option and is being showcased at the American Urological Association's annual meeting starting May 19th. For more information on this fascinating application see the press release issued today.
Congratulations to our partner ToLTech in applying Geomagic's haptic technology so that the medical profession can use touch-enabled computers to better educate and train healthcare professionals for the benefit of patients worldwide.