Expert subjective comparison of haptic models for bone-drill interaction.

Purpose: A haptic algorithm to simulate the interaction between a surgical drill and bone using a constraint-based algorithm has been previously demonstrated. However, there has been no blinded study to determine whether this algorithm is preferred by professionals who commonly use this type of system METHODS: Fourteen otologic surgeons were presented with a spring-damper model and a constraint-based model of drill-bone interaction rendered on a low-cost haptic device with only linear feedback. The participants were blinded as to what algorithm they were using. They then answered survey questions about their opinions of the models.

Results: The surgeons overwhelmingly preferred the constraint-based model. They generally preferred the constraint-based model in the individual questions as well.

Conclusions: Follow-up work can be done to fine-tune the parameters in the model, but this study shows that a sophisticated algorithm can make a significant difference even on a low-fidelity haptic device.