VR TKA Surgery Simulator

Most games are designed for entertainment, but the new VR TKA Surgery Simulator also hopes to help doctors learn new ways to perform knee surgery. VR TKA Surgery Simulator is a virtual reality version of a total knee arthroplasty training by Prof. Dr. Ertugrul Aksahin, one of the world's leading orthopedic surgeons.

At this time, the simulator only has one surgery, but if the game ends up being popular, other joint surgeries may be added as a supplement to the currently available one. The developers have also mentioned the potential of adding robotics knee surgery to go along with the current method being shown in this game.

Detailed Learning

The game walks you through how to perform the knee surgery from beginning to end. This means first meeting with the patient and looking over their X-rays. Based on their condition and the x-ray, players will have to plan the details of the surgery.

The developers claim that drilling into bone and other aspects of the surgery feel very realistic. This helps students who are learning how to do surgery get a feel for what it is like before practicing on an actual knee. An important aspect of the game is to make sure the prosthesis, or the replacement part of the knee, is the correct size. Only when the player is sure should they close up the knee.

The game is serious in all aspects, so if you were expecting something like Surgeon Simulator, you may be in for a bit of a surprise. This is much closer to a training simulation than it is to a game.

Mercifully Lower Res

Although the trailer shows very sharp renders, the game itself is a lot less detailed. The surgery is not horribly bloody or graphic. The goal isn’t to impress people with how extremely detailed the leg being worked on is, but to focus on learning how to do the surgery.

Other areas of the operating room, such as the screens and the tool, are highly rendered, which makes us think that the less detailed leg is on purpose.

Mature Content

Despite being tastefully simple in some areas, the game still isn’t well suited for some people. The game involves opening the skin up on, drilling, and hammering a knee. Especially since the feedback from the VR is so realistic, this can be somewhat disturbing for sensitive people.

Multi-Player Mode in the Future

Although VR TKA Surgery Simulator is currently a single-player game, there are plans to eventually add co-op. Surgeries themselves are never done by just one person. The hope is to help make the game behave more realistically over time with the addition of co-op.

Pros:

• Educational
• Realistic training for medical personnel

Cons:

• May be too graphic for sensitive players