A VR obstetric simulator based on the Novint Falcon haptic device: development and evaluation

Digital vaginal examination is the technique that midwives use to assess the stage of labour, but its learning process is based on theory, mannequins and mostly practice with pregnant women, which often discomforts those women and does not assure learning all kinds of situations that midwives can face. Virtual reality can greatly help in learning this technique, but current virtual medical simulators are based on consumer headsets and controllers that do not provide the required haptic feedback.

To develop a realistic, but also affordable, virtual reality obstetric simulator for training the palpation technique on different cervix's conditions and foetal head orientations. Specifically, this work is focused on the examination that midwives perform to find the fontanelles in the foetal head and thus determine its orientation, which is key to anticipating problems during labour.

This development was carried out using the TRES-D methodology, which addresses 3D interfaces and content for virtual reality. The simulator is based on a low-cost haptic device, the Novint Falcon, which allows the user to feel the force produced when touching a virtual object. One midwife was directly involved in this process, and a guided evaluation with four other midwives was later conducted to check its realism and assess its potential.

Preliminary tests gathered mostly positive feedback. Participants found the simulator useful and intuitive, and highlighted its tactile realism and detail, as they were able to assess the cervix and foetal configuration, touching the sutures and fontanelles as in a real examination.

The developed obstetric simulator has the potential to become a useful tool in learning this examination technique. The main limitation to overcome in the future, and common to other-even more expensive- haptic devices, is having not only one point of contact but two.