RapidFire™ / SmartTutor™
Download RapidFire Product Video (39.0 MB Windows Media)
Download RapidFire Brochure (289 KB PDF)
RapidFire™ is a computer-based trainer for the basic motor skills for laparoscopic surgery. It consists of eight tasks, each building skill in succession. The RapidFire environment and tasks are abstract by design. There is scientific evidence that novices learn better in simple environments without complex realism. The tasks are designed to provide training for skills related to the laparoscopic fulcrum effect, extrapolation of 2-D environments to 3-D understanding, bimanual target acquisition, and object transfer. RapidFire runs on a standard PC and the Immersion VLI interface. Validation studies are in progress.
SmartTutor™ is a novel adaptive system for surgical simulators. According to Dr. Anthony "Tony" Gallagher, "Smart Tutor is the first new methodology in surgical simulation since MIST VR." Smart Tutor continually measures user performance and makes real-time adjustments in the training session to either accommodate or challenge the learner. The SmartTutor algorithms are patent pending. There is scientific evidence to suggest that novices do not learn when frustrated and likewise experts do not learn unless challenged. SmartTutor keeps all users in a zone of optimal learning. To date SmartTutor has been applied to the RapidFire environment with more applications forthcoming. Initial studies have demonstrated laparoscopic skill acquisition for novice learners using RapidFire / SmartTutor. Additional validation studies are in progress.
