Integrated Design and Prototyping of a Robotic Head for Ocular and Craniofacial Trauma Simulators

Background: Medical simulation is relevant for training medical personnel in the delivery of medical and trauma care, with benefits including quantitative evaluation and increased patient safety through reduced need to train on patients. Methods: This paper presents a prototype medical simulator focusing on ocular and craniofacial trauma (OCF), for training in management of facial and upper airway injuries. It consists of a physical, electromechanical representation of head and neck structures, including the mandible, maxillary region, neck, orbit and peri-orbital regions to replicate different craniofacial traumas. Actuation and hydraulic systems are designed to control animatronic features and flow of simulated blood, tears, and cerebrospinal fluid. Results: Experimentally validated, the OCF simulator achieves structural and functional characteristics as close as possible to those of a human body. Conclusions: The OCF Simulator can be used as a stand-alone active simulator, it can be transported and used to train surgeons in simulated real-life scenarios. Clinical Trial Registration: The authors declare that this statement is not applicable since no clinical tests have been performed.