Connective Tissues Simulation on GPU

International audienceRecent work in the field of medical simulation have led to real advances in the mechanical simulation of organs. However, it is important to notice that, despite the major role they may have in the interaction between organs, the connective tissues are often left out of these simulations. In this paper, we propose a model which can rely on either a mesh based or a meshless methods. To provide a realistic simulation of these tissues, our work is based on the weak form of continuum mechanics equations for hyperelastic soft materials. Furthermore, the stability of deformable objects simulation is ensured by an implicit temporal integration scheme. Our method allows to model these tissues without prior assumption on the dimension of their of their geometry (curve, surface or volume), and enables mechanical coupling between organs. To obtain an interactive frame rate, we develop a parallel version suitable for to GPU computation. Finally we demonstrate the proper convergence of our finite element scheme

Investigation of the use of meshfree methods for haptic thermal management of design and simulation of MEMS

This thesis presents a novel approach of using haptic sensing technology combined with virtual environment (VE) for the thermal management of Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) design. The goal is to reduce the development cycle by avoiding the costly iterative prototyping procedure. In this regard, we use haptic feedback with virtua lprototyping along with an immersing environment. We also aim to improve the productivity and capability of the designer to better grasp the phenomena operating at the micro-scale level, as well as to augment computational steering through haptic channels. To validate the concept of haptic thermal management, we have implemented a demonstrator with a user friendly interface which allows to intuitively "feel" the temperature field through our concept of haptic texturing. The temperature field in a simple MEMS component is modeled using finite element methods (FEM) or finite difference method (FDM) and the user is able to feel thermal expansion using a combination of different haptic feedback. In haptic application, the force rendering loop needs to be updated at a frequency of 1Khz in order to maintain continuity in the user perception. When using FEM or FDM for our three-dimensional model, the computational cost increases rapidly as the mesh size is reduced to ensure accuracy. Hence, it constrains the complexity of the physical model to approximate temperature or stress field solution. It would also be difficult to generate or refine the mesh in real time for CAD process. In order to circumvent the limitations due to the use of conventional mesh-based techniques and to avoid the bothersome task of generating and refining the mesh, we investigate the potential of meshfree methods in the context of our haptic application. We review and compare the different meshfree formulations against FEM mesh based technique. We have implemented the different methods for benchmarking thermal conduction and elastic problems. The main work of this thesis is to determine the relevance of the meshfree option in terms of flexibility of design and computational charge for haptic physical model

Découpage virtuel interactif de corps élastiques pour simulation chirurgicale

''RÉSUMÉ : La simulation chirurgicale dans un environnement de réalité virtuelle fournit un moyen de pratiquer certaines opérations sans les risques associés à une intervention sur un patient ou le coût d’un mannequin. Afin de générer un sentiment de présence, on cherche à produire un environnement le plus complet possible, incluant une vision 3D, un retour haptique, des interactions crédibles et un comportement physique réaliste des objets présents. La recherche présentée ici porte sur la simulation physique du comportement d’organes mous, comme le foie ou le cerveau, ainsi que sur le découpage de ces organes à l’aide d’un scalpel, une interaction particulièrement difficile à reproduire virtuellement de façon réaliste. L’objectif principal est de développer une méthode de déformation à la fois réaliste et efficace, et de permettre à un utilisateur de découper interactivement un objet simulé par cette méthode, à l’aide d’un outil tranchant virtuel. De plus, nous voulons que la déformation et les interactions soient décrites avec une grande précision, tout en permettant d’effectuer les calculs très rapidement, pour une interaction fluide qui maintient le sentiment de présence.''----------''ABSTRACT : Surgery simulation in a virtual reality environment provides a way to practice certain operations without the risks associated with performing surgery on a patient or the cost of using arealistic dummy. To facilitate immersion, we seek to produce an environment as complete as possible, including 3D vision, haptic feedback, credible interactions and a realistic physical behavior of simulated objects. The research presented in this document focuses on the physical behavior of soft organs, like the brain or liver, and on cutting these organs using a scalpel. It is especially difficult to reproduce virtually that interaction in a realistic way. The main objective is to develop a deformation method that is both realistic and efficient, and to allow a user to interactively cut an object simulated through this method, using a virtual sharp tool. Furthermore, we want the deformation and interactions to be described with high precision while allowing for fast computations, for a smooth interaction that maintains immersion.'