On the 22nd May 2013 Mr Kash Akhtar, who was representing the MSk Lab, took part in an event at the Royal Institute with other colleagues from Imperial College. The evening was called ‘Teaching your fingers to see’ and was all about:
“How does a surgeon master his craft or a GP diagnose through palpation? Join a team from Imperial College London to explore the fascinating world of haptics in surgery, medicine and beyond. Seeing is believing, touching is haptics!”
Mr Kash Akhtar was invited to participate due to one of many simulation projects he has been involved with assisting hip and knee arthroplasty. At this particular event he showcased a novel virtual reality haptic simulator for fixing hip fractures that he had been involved in developing as part of his MD.
“Members of the public were able to fix a hip fracture using conventional trauma equipment under the guidance of a surgeon (me) and then perform it on our virtual reality simulator. The simulator allows surgical trainees to learn how to fix hip fractures in a safe and controlled environment without posing any risk to patients. It gives excellent feedback and guidance, and is reusable with no consumable parts. Trainees can then progress to operating on patients once they have the necessary skills, knowledge and aptitude with patient safety paramount. There was a fantastic turnout and it was very well received.” comments Dr Akhtar