The use of LEGO Mindstorms to create a model of the surgical robot arm for the education of medical students

The aim of the work is to assess the use of LEGO-based robotics in the education of medical students. Training on specialized robotic surgery simulators is available only to a small group of specialists. The LEGO Mindstorms was used to create a model of the surgical robot arm. The model is controlled by a specially prepared panel created in the LabVIEW. The functionality of the model of a surgical robot arm allows people who have not been using these robots to become familiar with the basics of their operation. Medical students using the arm will be able to observe structural problems: the stiffness of construction, or its utility, the range of movements and its limitations, motion and force control using different robotic manipulators. The use of a modular computer programming language and a modular building platform problem in LEGO Education contributes to the development of critical thinking and problem solving, and these skills are useful to physicians during their work.