Abstract:

The merge between robotics and e-health has very promising perspectives, not only as a growing market of opportunities from many different connected sectors. In this paper, we want to discuss the role of modern, evolved, on-purpose Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) as a crucial element to help doctors and medical personnel to be trained on these complex multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary domains. Thanks to specifically design learning objects that should be delivered using specific tools integrated in Learning Management Systems, we hope to be able to by-pass or mitigate the problem of training for robotic surgery, that at the moment is preventing doctors to use all the enormous potential that robotics is providing inside a modern operating room
In this paper, we want to discuss the role of modern, evolved, on-purpose Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) as a crucial element to help doctors and medical personnel to be trained on these complex multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary domains. Current state of TEL in the medical sector is mostly devoted to traditional, SCORM-based or multimedia learning objects. Serious games are an interesting evolution, but no special tools in LMSs are able provide a real-world training about how to use robotics surgery, thus transmitting as much reality as possible to the doctor-trainee. This element, according to the experience accumulated by authors in dealing with the da Vinci® Robotic system XI, seems to be crucial for the successful usage of these technologies. Even robot producers are not very keen on providing educational tools or APIs that could be used as simulators or encapsulated in any sort of learning objects. Producers of robots are not paying any attention to create adequate simulators, virtual/augmented reality tools to help doctors. On the other hand, no LMS at our knowledge has special educational tool for recreating the realism needed in this kind of training. In the next chapter, we will illustrate the testbed used for our considerations, and we will illustrate some opened issues regarding the use of the da Vinci® Robotic system XI.

Keywords:

Smart Health, Technology-enhanced Learning, Robotics.