Robotic Surgery Simulator
What is RoSS?
RoSS is a portable, stand-alone Robotic Surgery Simulator that teaches novice and advanced surgeons the motor and cognitive skills required for operating the da Vinci surgical robot.
- RoSS is the only robotic surgery simulator featuring and immersive, full-length surgical procedures in 3D and haptics, otherwise known as HoST (Hands-on Surgical Training).
- RoSS uses virtual reality to introduce the user to the fundamentals of robot-assisted surgery. It boasts a validated, multi-level curriculum, designed with various levels of difficulty, that takes the user through and teaches the required skills for effectively advancing robotic surgery abilities.
- Robotic Skills Assessment (RSA) score allows trainers to quickly and accurately assess trainee performance, and metrics are stored within the integrated management database for easy export into Excel.
Features & Benefits
HoST – Hands-on Surgical Training
HoST proprietary software suite is a ground-breaking, virtual-reality simulation developed using actual, recorded da Vinci surgical procedures integrated with haptics for an immersive, unparalleled realistic learning environment—only available on the RoSS systems.
Radical Prostatectomy
Radical Cystectomy
Radical Hysterectomy
Lymph Node Dissection
Validated Curriculums
The RoSS II™ simulator offers 16 modules with progressive difficulty from pinching, camera and clutch operation to tissue cutting and cautery. With high-fidelity graphics, it helps develop motor and cognitive skills for performing robot-assisted surgery while providing in-vivo virtual operative steps with three levels of complexity.
Module one |
orientation Skills |
|---|---|
| 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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
RSA Score – Robotic Skills Assessment Score
Using the Fundamental Skills of Robotic Surgery (FSRS) available on the RoSS, a standardized scoring system was created for virtual reality based assessment metrics. This Robotic Skills Assessment (RSA) Score allows trainers to quickly and accurately assess trainee performance. The RSA Score is obtained by taking a timed test comprised of four modules that are part of the RoSS curriculum. It is a weighted average of the following composite metrics: safety in operative field, critical error, economy, bimanual dexterity, and time. The following table shows the score range, mean score and weight of each composite metric.
Composite Metrics |
Score Range |
Mean Score |
Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| TT | 1-5 | 3.5 | 0.1 (10%) |
| SOF | 1-5 | 3.5 | 0.35 (35%) |
| EC | 1-5 | 3.5 | 0.1 (10%) |
| BD | 1-5 | 3.5 | 0.1 (10%) |
| ER | 1-5 | 3.5 | 0.35 (35%) |
| Overall Score (S)* | 1-5 | 3.5 | 1.0 (100%) |
Legend |
|
|---|---|
| Score ranges | Retake (<2.0), poor (2.0-2.5), average (2.5-3.0), good (3.0-3.5), expert (3.5-4.0), superior (>4.0) |
| Metrics Key | BD = bimanual dexterity; EC = economy; ER = critical errors; SOF = safety in operative field; TT = task time |
| *Overall Score (S) = | (0.1 x TT) + (0.35 x SOF) + (0.1 x EC) + (0.1 x BD) + (0.35 x ER) |
Read Community
validations
Articles and scientific papers validating the RoSS system and effectiveness of robotic surgery simulators
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.