  Tactile perception plays an important role in medical simulation and
training, specifically in surgery. The surgeon must feel organic tissue
hardness, evaluate anatomical structures, measure tissue properties, and apply
appropriate force control actions for safe tissue manipulation. Development of
novel cost effective haptic-based simulators and their introduction in the
minimally invasive surgery learning cycle can absorb the learning curve for
residents. Receiving pre-training in a core set of surgical skills can reduce
skill acquisition time and risks. We present the development of a
cost-effective visuo-haptic simulator for the liver tissue, designed to improve
practice-based education in minimally invasive surgery. Such systems can
positively affect the next generations of learners by enhancing their knowledge
in connection with real-life situations while they train in mandatory safe
conditions.
