HELIX Empowers VR Surgical Training

BSc Computer Science student Dillan has been using HELIX's extended reality classroom to complete work on his final year dissertation: how VR can enhance surgical training.

Dillan Kerai is a 3rd year student studying BSc Computer science with  Artificial Intelligence at the University of Leeds. From a very young age Dillan has had a passion for computer science and software development.

Location: HELIX XR Classroom

Aims: To assess how VR can enhance medical surgical training, especially for laparoscopic colectomy (colon repair).

Output: Dillan developed a VR simulation of laparoscopic colectomy, that can be used for medical training. He divided the surgery into separate tasks, each with a specific learning objective and feedback mechanism. His simulation allows medical students to practise the surgery without the need for expensive and scarce hospital resources, and to learn at their own pace and convenience.

Impact: Dillan's project benefited from the high spec PCs, developing software, and VR headsets that HELIX offered. These facilities were essential for creating and testing his VR simulation.

Why did you choose HELIX for your project?

"I use the HELIX XR classroom at least 4 times per week. This space provides me with an excellent working environment with high spec facilities which aren’t available anywhere else on campus. If it weren’t for the existence of HELIX, I wouldn’t have been able to work on a virtual reality project for my dissertation’’.

How did working in HELIX help you achieve your aims?

"The facilities available at HELIX allowed me to create the project by providing the correct equipment and resources. The meta quest headsets allowed me to access and test out my VR scene and the PCs are very high spec which allowed me to develop on them and run the VR simulation as opposed to using my laptop."

Do you have any advice to share from your HELIX experience?

‘’Advice I would suggest to potential HELIX users would be to make appropriate use of the booking system by booking their desired space/equipment well in advance to avoid disappointment. Regarding VR development I would recommend ensuring that the Meta quest headsets are on the correct setting before booking them out and taking them away."

You can view some of Dillan's  recent work by visiting  Home (dillankerai.onrender.com)