Modification of commercial force feedback hardware for needle insertion simulation.

A SensAble Omni force feedback device has been modified to increase the face validity of a needle insertion simulation. The new end effector uses a real needle hub and shortened needle shaft in place of the Omni's pre-fitted pen shaped end effector. This modification facilitates correct procedural training through the simulation of co-located visual and haptic cues in an augmented reality approach to simulation. The development of the new end effector is described and a pictorial guide to its manufacture and the fitting process is provided. Initial results from face validation studies bode well for the fidelity of this low cost device.