Simulation of Soft Tissue Deformation: a New Approach

An approach is presented in this paper, combining methods and models that are efficient enough to simulate elastic deformation, obtaining equilibrium between visual and haptic realism. Many medical training computational applications manipulate 3D objects that represent organs and human tissues. These representations, in function of the training requirements for which they are meant, may include parameter such as shape, topology, color, volume texture and, in certain cases, physical properties such as elasticity and stiffness. Based on this model, visual and/or haptic outputs are generated for users, and need to be realistic. In other words, they need to provide the learner with sensations close enough to those they would have if the training were provided with real life objects. However, its computational cost is too high to simultaneously provide visual and haptic realism in real-time. The results from deformation response time are compatible with those required for haptic interaction and the visual results from using meshes composed of a large number of polygons.