ActiveHeart: 4D Visible and Palpable Simulation Environment of Beating Heart

摘要

This work focuses on visualization and palpation of in vivo beating heart and provides a real time 3D virtual simulation environment. Using this environment, anyone can see and touch the beats as a real heart. As a heart dataset is generally given as time series of volume data, it is important how to describe its dynamic motion and how to provide its user interface graphically and haptically. This simulation environment is performed by an integrated system with force feedback device and graphical user interface. In a graphic part, using rendering hardware, this system supports real time volume rendering and serval functions such as rotating, cutting plane and so on. In a haptic part, haptic expression is described by two-step method (static expression and dynamic expression), and its algorithm consists of collision detection and active pressure generation by space mapping approach. As a result, constructed virtual system of in vivo organization can realize a kind of real time simulation and analysis environment for medical training and surgery.