| Fast computation of non-linear and visco-elastic mechanical forces and deformations for surgery simulation |
| Ph.D. |
| Jean-Marc Schwartz |
| Denis Laurendeau (Supervisor) |
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| Problem: Surgery simulation is a rapidly expanding field, that aims at providing physicians with tools allowing extensive training and precise planning of given surgical interventions. The design of such simulation systems requires accurate geometrical and mechanical models of the organs of the human body, as well as fast computation algorithms suitable for real-time conditions. Most existing simulation systems use very simple mechanical models, based on the laws of linear elasticity. Numerous biomechanical results yet indicate that biological tissues exhibit much more complex behaviour, including important non-linear and visco-elastic effects. |
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| Approach: We developed a method allowing the fast computation of mechanical deformations and forces including non-linear and visco-elastic effects. This method uses finite element theory and has been constructed as an extension of the so-called tensor-mass algorithm for linear elasticity. It consists in pre-computing a set of tensors depending on the geometrical and mechanical properties of each finite element, which are later combined in the simulation part itself. Our non-linear model does not assume any particular form of mechanical law, so that the proposed method is generic enough to be applied to a wide variety of behaviours and objects. |
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| Calendar: September 1999 - September 2003 |
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| Web reference: http://www.gel.ulaval.ca/~schwartz/lvsn/index_en.html |
| Last modification: 2007/09/28 by schwartz |
