The Future of Midwife Training: Towards a Virtual Reality Haptic Obstetric Simulator with Two Points of Contact
摘要
This chapter describes the development, guided by an exploratory process, of a virtual reality obstetric simulator based on the VITAKI toolkit and a Leap Motion device to provide, respectively, vibrotactile haptic feedback and two-finger tracking, which midwives use to assess the cervix and foetus in the moments prior to delivery. With exploratory iterations of this process, or alpha versions, it is found that different degrees of cervix consistency can be associated with different values of motor vibration speed, that cervical dilatation can be assessed using two fingers and vibration, and that it is even possible to locate and distinguish with vibration such small shapes as those of the anterior (diamond-shape) and posterior (triangular) fontanels of the foetus. In the latter case, however, the evidence shows the need for a support surface to recognise such small shapes, something to oppose or force. Even so, compared to previous work, the simulator stands out by adding an extra point of contact, and gives rise to a possible further development of this work combining a force feedback device with vibrotactile feedback.