An interactive model of the human liver.

In the aim of building a surgical simulator we have developed a model of the human liver. The model respects both the heterogeneous (different material properties depending on the tissue) and non-linear nature of the organ, using binary connectors. We validate that the local behavior of the connector is accurately reproduced on a global scale. Interaction, including collision detection and response, is possible in real-time using a haptic device. For smoother force feedback we introduce a local modeling technique that approximates forces at high frequency. Further we describe a fast method that allows real-time changes of the topology by avoiding subdivision. Finally we illustrate all these techniques by several experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]