Fundamental Skills of Robotic Surgery
Robotic surgery simulation is the safest, most practical form of training for novice surgeons to carefully and meticulously develop the crucial motor and cognitive skills demanded for performing robot-assisted surgery. Simulation training poses no risk to a live patient, so novice surgeons are able to freely practice various tasks.
RoSS™ offers several different virtual reality simulation tasks, each one designed to further develop and fine-tune the user’s robotic abilities. RoSS™ offers each user the ability to track his or her performance metrics.
Validated Curriculum
- Module One – Orientation Module
- Module Two – Motor Skills
- Module Three – Basic Surgical Skills
- Module Four – Intermediate Surgical Skills

Simulation Training Modules
The RoSS™ fully addresses the rapidly-growing need for a realistic training environment for robot-assisted surgery. RoSS™ is loaded with a comprehensive curriculum designed for the development of motor and cognitive skills required to perform robot-assisted surgery. The simulation curriculum is comprised of four training modules containing a total of 16 tasks, each with various levels of difficulty.
1. Orientation Modules
Module one |
orientation module |
---|---|
Instrument Control | This task teaches the trainee how to move the arms and helps orient the user to the feel of the RoSS™ console. |
Camera Control | This task teaches the trainee how to use the camera. |
Coordinated Tool Control | This task teaches the trainee how to use the camera and the clutch together in a coordinated manner. |
4th Arm Control | This task teaches the trainee how to use the 4th arm |
2. Motor Skills
Module two |
Motor skills |
---|---|
Ball Drop | This task helps the trainee develop precise control of their instruments by picking up balls and placing them on trays. |
Ball Placement | This task helps the trainee develop accurate and precise control of their instruments by picking up balls and placing them atop columns |
Spatial Control I | In this task, the trainee must pass a ring along a curved wire to hone their spatial awareness, instrument control, and fine motor skills. |
Spatial Control II | In this task, the trainee must pass a thread through a series of rings to hone their spatial awareness, instrument control, and fine motor skills. |
3. Basic Surgical Skills
Module three |
basic surgical skills |
---|---|
Needle Handling and Exchange | This task teaches the trainee how to handle a needle properly. |
Needle Removal | This task teaches the trainee how to properly hand off a needle to a bedside assistant. |
Basic Electrocautery | This task teaches the trainee how to use the electrocautery hook. |
Tissue Cutting | This task teaches the trainee how to use the scissors to cut tissue. |
4. Intermediate Surgical Skills
Module Four |
Intermediate Surgical Skills |
---|---|
Tissue Retraction | This task combines the trainee’s previously acquired skills and requires coordinated control of the 4th arm to retract tissue. |
Blunt Tissue Dissection | This task combines the trainee’s previously acquired skills and requires coordinated control of their instruments and the camera to separate two layers of tissue. |
Vessel Dissection | This task combines the trainee’s previously acquired skills and requires coordinated control of their instruments and the camera to dissect the vessel. |
Knot Tying | This task combines the trainee’s previously acquired skills and requires coordinated control of their instruments to effectively tie common surgical knots. |
See what our clients are saying
[after completing the robot-assisted surgery training course at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY]
I am grateful and thrilled to inform that I have done my first robotic hysterectomy three days after my arrival from your training program. The Ross has been of great help in understanding the robotic principles.
Training with the RoSS is going well. The residents are actually using it without encouragement, which is unusual for a simulator.
The HoST system is nothing less than a game-changer in the world of surgical education. Why nobody thought of it before is hard to fathom in hindsight.
It’s amazing how similar it is to the da Vinci console!
The Ross simulator allows our residents to become proficient at the robotic console outside the OR. Residents are better able to focus on critical elements of the surgery when they are not attempting mastery of the console at the same time. Skills practice on the RoSS simulator has quickly become a key part of our surgery training.