A Portable da Vinci Simulator in Virtual Reality

Research activity in Minimally Invasive Robotic Surgery (MIRS) has gained a considerable momentum in the last years, due to the availability of reliable and clinically relevant research platforms like the da Vinci Research Kit (dVRK). However, despite the wide sharing of the dVRK in the research community, access to the platform remains limited because of high maintenance costs and difficulty in replacing components. In this work we complete a robotic simulator of the dVRK, previously developed by our group, with cheap haptic interfaces and an Oculus Rift to replicate and extend the functionalities of the Master console. The complete system represents an efficient, safe and low-cost tool, useful to design and validate new surgical instruments and control strategies, as well as provide an easy-to-access educational tool to students.