Prototyping a sensorized tool wristband for objective skill assessment and feedback during training in minimally invasive surgery

Skill assessment is a key component of surgical practical training. Towards an objective, automatic and cost-effective skill evaluation, this work introduces a preliminary sensorized wristband as a training add-on for standard minimally invasive surgical tools. The prototype herein presented allows to classify the presence of the tool in the camera field of view, as well as to provide feedback accordingly. A usability study on 14 non-medical participants was carried out using the da Vinci Research Kit. Results demonstrated the classification accuracy of the method and the usefulness of the feedback to minimize the time spent with the tool out of the field of view. Embedding additional sensors and testing usability on surgical residents will pave the way towards the evolution of this proof of concept to an advanced prototype to use in a real training setting.