UpSurgeOn Academy: A multilevel educational platform for neurosurgical training.

Project Information

UpSurgeOn Academy

Grant agreement ID: 817346

DOI

10.3030/817346

Project closed

EC signature date 27 April 2018

Start date 1 May 2018

End date 31 August 2018

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs

Total cost

€ 71 429,00

EU contribution

€ 50 000,00

Coordinated by

UPSURGEON SRL
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - UpSurgeOn Academy (UpSurgeOn Academy: A multilevel educational platform for neurosurgical training.)

Reporting period: 2018-05-01 to 2018-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

UpSurgeOn Academy is a training platform that aims to improve the traditional approach to neurosurgery education through the use of 3D technologies applied to surgical simulation. Currently, the Academy propose 3 categories of content: 1) 3D learning tools for theoretical training 2) a physical device (Brainbox), which represents different sections of the intracranial space 3) an AR solution which allows the integration of the physical device with 3D models. The system will provide a number of advantages in the neurosurgery training process in terms of speediness and efficiency of the learning curve and reduced cost for trainees. Simulation training tools are already on the market are characterized by: 1. Access limited to institutions or training courses – UpSurgeOn Academy provide a low cost access to the single user in a B2C model; 2. High costs: the existing tools are not intended for personal self-training - UpSurgeOn can anticipate most of the surgery’s steps of a Cadaver Lab dissection making the exercise repeatable and the training highly effective; 3. Lack in realism: the existing tools may present anatomical approximation – UpSurgeOn will provide a realistic experience in terms of anatomical accuracy, since the models are verified by expert neurosurgeons.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Technical Feas.: technical specifications for all products; materials to be used to have the most realistic Brainbox; manufacturing process; small-scale and a large-scale test to create metrics designed.
Commercial Feas.: analysis of the neurosurgical education market (targets and partners); market analysis (assessment of demand, offer and competitors); compliance with EU regulations check; commercial strategy designed; FTO.
Economic Feas. was assessed projecting revenues, cost, margin and ROI both for the Phase 2 project and for the first 5 years, and assessing potential risks/benefits.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

One of the differences between UpSurgeOn training tools and the other simulators, is that one can buy them independently at a low price, and use them to learn the standard steps of neurosurgical procedures. The future is promising for simulators in neurosurgery as they become more engaging and representative than the past thanks to technological advances. Considering that in EU, US and Canada neurosurgery trainees need many years to improve their confidence in the practical part of their residency because of its high complexity, UpSurgeOn will be a great tool facilitating students to shorten their learning curve with realistic low cost simulation tools.

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