A Generic Virtual Reality Training Simulator for Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection

Abstract

Cell microinjection is a well-known procedure where a fine tip micropipette is used to deliver a precise amount of substance into the cell. The procedure requires extremely high precision, depth perception and hand-eye coordination for maneuvering the micro-pipette especially when performed using a micro-robotic system. To train users on procuring these skills, we have introduced a VR training simulator with basic training modules in our preceding paper, which is developed using a generic open-source physics engine called the Simulation Open Framework Architecture (SOFA). In this paper, we produce one advanced training module which trains the users on complete cell injection procedures. We have also introduced evaluation mechanism to evaluate learning rate of a user, which consists of important evaluation metrics, i.e., (i) trajectory, (ii) positioning accuracy, (iii) and injection force. Based on our development, we noticed that a VR training simulator for training on cell injection procedures can be very effective and feasible to facilitate independent and unsupervised learning.