VR Cricothyrotomy Simulator
As part of Penn Medicine through the PURM summer research internship, I developed a VR surgical airway trainer in Unity for Unity for Meta Quest 2, 3, and Pro headsets. A cricothyrotomy is a critical emergency airway procedure performed when conventional methods fail. Due to the rarity of such cases, hands-on experience is extremely limited. This VR simulator module addresses this issue, with the aim of being used alongside conventional medical education by improving procedural familiarity in a safe, repeatable environment.
A primary focus of my work was improving usability for surgical residents. I redesigned the UI/UX to be more intuitive, added left-handed accessibility options and adjustable height calibration, and refined VR interaction systems to make movement and manipulation of the surgical tools feel more natural.
I also implemented JSON-based data collection to record pre/post-assessment and survey responses, allowing for us to analyze participant performance and evaluate the VR module’s effectiveness.
