System and method for teaching basic ultrasound skills

1. A method for teaching a user basic ultrasound skills, comprising:

a. providing a training simulator system, comprising:

i. an input device to control a position and an orientation of a virtual ultrasound probe, wherein the input device is in the form of a transducer frame, and the input device comprises a motion sensing device, the motion sensing device configured to detect movement and orientation of the input device, wherein the motion sensing device comprises an accelerometer, and

ii. a display device comprising a plurality of windows for displaying, during operation, a menu of virtual basic shapes in a first window, a menu of available virtual transducer probes in a second window, and the virtual ultrasound probe in a third window;

b. receiving a selection of a basic shape for an object from the menu of virtual basic shapes, wherein the object represents an abstraction of an anatomical part;

c. generating the basic shape of the object in the third window;

d. receiving a selection of one available virtual transducer probe from the menu of available virtual transducer probes;

e. displaying the virtual ultrasound probe controlled by the input device in the third window based on the selection of the one available virtual transducer probe;

f. displaying a scanning plane emitting from the virtual ultrasound probe for visualizing a location, a direction, and an orientation of a virtual sound wave emitted from the virtual ultrasound probe;

g. receiving instructions from the input device to manipulate the position and the orientation of the virtual ultrasound probe relative to the object to define an ultrasound slice through the object by the scanning plane, wherein movement of the virtual ultrasound probe in three dimensions correlates with movement of the input device in three dimensions; and

h. displaying in a fourth window of the display device simultaneously with displaying the virtual ultrasound probe in the third window of the display device, a 2D image of a section of the object represented at the ultrasound slice based on the scanning plane.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

a. receiving information from the input device to alter the position and orientation of the virtual ultrasound probe; and

b. computing a new ultrasound slice obtained by cutting the object with the scanning plane at the altered position and orientation.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising displaying virtual artifacts on the fourth window mimicking real artifacts seen in actual ultrasound imaging, wherein the virtual artifacts are generated using a technique selected from the group consisting of a volumetric approach, a shading algorithm, and a Doppler flow characteristic.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the basic shape comprises dynamic characteristics to mimic movement of the anatomical part the virtual basic shape represents.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the dynamic characteristics comprise at least one of an ability to pulsate, contract and expand, and simulate liquid flow.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the dynamic characteristics are displayed in the fourth window in different colors with the 2D image.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the object is hidden in a simulated environment, but detectable by the virtual ultrasound probe, such that when the scanning plane intersects the object, the 2D image of the section of the object defined by the ultrasound slice is displayed on the fourth window of the display device.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying virtual artifacts on the fourth window mimicking real artifacts seen in actual ultrasound imaging, wherein the virtual artifacts are generated using a technique selected from the group consisting of a volumetric approach, a shading algorithm, and a Doppler flow characteristic.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein an operation of calculating the scanning plane is further based on a characteristic of the available virtual ultrasound probe selected.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a second input device operable to define a position and an orientation of a virtual instrument, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the position and the orientation of the virtual instrument from the second input device and displaying the virtual instrument on the third window of the display device.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the basic shape comprises dynamic characteristics to mimic movement of the anatomical part the virtual basic shape represents.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the dynamic characteristics comprise at least one of an ability to pulsate, contract and expand, and simulate liquid flow.

13. The method of claim 7 , wherein the dynamic characteristics are displayed in the fourth window in different colors with the 2D image.

14. A system for teaching a user basic ultrasound skills, comprising:

a. an input device to control a virtual ultrasound probe that lets the user define a position and an orientation of the virtual ultrasound probe, wherein the input device is in the form of a transducer frame that mimics a real ultrasound probe, and the input device comprises a motion sensing device, the motion sensing device configured to detect movement and orientation of the input device, wherein the motion sensing device comprises an accelerometer;

b. an apparatus containing an object having a basic shape, the basic shape representing an abstraction of an anatomical part;

c. a display device for displaying, during operation, a menu of virtual basic shapes in a first portion of the display device, a menu of available virtual transducer probes in a second portion of the display device, a virtual ultrasound probe in a third portion of the display device, and a 2D image of a section of an object in a fourth portion of the display device, the object having a basic shape representing an abstraction of an anatomical part, wherein the input device controls movement of the virtual ultrasound probe on the display device;

d. a processor; and

e. a memory operatively coupled to the processor, the memory storing program instructions that when executed by the processor performs operations to:

i. display the menu of virtual basic shapes in the first portion of the display device, display the menu of available virtual transducer probes in the second portion of the display device from which the user can select to represent the virtual ultrasound probe, display the selected virtual ultrasound probe in the third portion of the display device, the virtual ultrasound probe emitting a scanning plane from the virtual ultrasound probe for visualizing a location, a direction, and an orientation of a virtual sound wave;

ii. detect the basic shape of the object that is scanned by the virtual ultrasound probe, wherein the basic shape corresponds with one virtual basic shape selected from the menu of virtual basic shapes;

iii. receive instruction from the input device to manipulate the position and the orientation of the virtual ultrasound probe relative to the object to define an ultrasound slice through the virtual basic shape by the scanning, wherein movement of the virtual ultrasound probe in three dimensions correlates with movement of the input device in three dimensions; and

iv. display the 2D image of the section of the object in the fourth portion of the display device, the 2D image representing the section taken at the ultrasound slice.

15. The system of claim 14 , further comprising a second input device operable to define a position and an orientation of a virtual instrument, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the position and the orientation of the virtual instrument from the second input device and displaying the virtual instrument in the third portion of the display device.

16. The system of claim 14 , wherein a depiction of the scanning plane is based on the available virtual ultrasound probe selected.

17. The system of claim 14 , wherein the operations further comprise generating artifacts in the ultrasound slice to mimic elements that characterize ultrasound imaging.

18. The system of claim 14 , wherein the object comprises dynamic characteristics to mimic movement of the anatomical part the basic shape represents.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the dynamic characteristics comprise at least one of an ability to pulsate, contract and expand, and simulate liquid flow.

20. The system of claim 18 , wherein the dynamic characteristics are displayed in the fourth window in different colors with the 2D image.