Improving Patient Safety through Innovations in Surgical Training and Machine Learning Simulated Inanimate Models combines augmented reality with synthetic anatomy to create a novel “Flight Simulator for Surgery.” by Michael P. Wilson, PhD
The Luminate accelerator – an optics, photonics, and imaging (OPI) program – concluded its third cohort in September of this year, with the Rochester-based company Simulated Inanimate Models LLC (SIM) receiving the $400,000 Outstanding Graduate Award. The company’s ESIST™ surgical training platform is candidly described as a “flight simulator for surgery,” a technology that enables surgeons to acquire skill and certification without risking a patient’s life. The technology combines realistic, synthetic models of human anatomy (called “phantoms”) with educational software and augmented reality (AR) technology to deliver an immersive training experience. The ESIST™ platform can also be applied to broader medical training in operating rooms and hospitals, including for nurses, technicians, and other medical supportive staff. The phantom technology and simulation work were originally developed in part by company founder Dr. Jonathan Stone, an attending neurosurgeon and engineer at the University of Neurosurgery residents at Strong Memorial Hospital resect synthetic Rochester Strong Memorial Hospital. Dr. Stone brain tumors from a SIM phantom using fluorescent microscopy as part of a training workshop. began creating these realistic phantoms during his residency to give surgeons a safer and more effective means of acquiring the skills required. SIM was launched as a startup company from the university in July 2018, with support from an NIH STTR grant award to commercialize the phantom technology. One of the greatest strengths of SIM is the cross disciplinary diversity of its founders, including CSO Dr. Nelson Stone’s 40 year clinical experience and serial entrepreneurship, COO Dr. Michael Wilson’s Ph.D. training as a research scientist, and CTO Steve Griffith 30+ year career as a electrical/computer engineer with flight simulation and medical device experience. With the diverse team assembled, SIM submitted and was awarded an NSF SBIR Phase I grant to integrate augmented reality, artificial intelligence and gaming technology into its patented ESIST platform. 12 | The ROCHESTER ENGINEER NOVEMBER 2020
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