Simulating Cutting in Surgery Applications using Haptics and Finite Element Models

Soft tissue cutting is an important task in surgery simulators. We use a separation of elements approach instead of destroying [2] or subdividing [1][5] the elements. Previously we have started a new cutting approach for 2D masssprings models: separating the elements [4]. It does not increment the number of elements (as in the subdivision approach) and maintains the same mass during simulations (against the destruction approach). Later, Nienhuys et. al. [6] has used the same idea to approach 3D cutting but they didn’t consider large displacements (required for cuts).