Patent ID: 8342853

Claim:
An apparatus for training a medical procedure comprising: a needle-pad device and feedback assembly that includes a sensor; an outer flexible membrane that simulates skin having a palpation region to be palpated, wherein the needle-pad device and feedback assembly are disposed under the outer membrane; an injection simulator, wherein an opening in the outer flexible membrane permits a user to access the needle-pad device and feedback assembly with the injection simulator to administer a simulated injection that is sensed by the sensor of the needle-pad device and feedback assembly; a cam palpator having a set of lifters operably contacting a set of cams that are rotated by a cam shaft, wherein the set of lifters are disposed under the palpation region of the outer membrane and wherein the set of lifters form a raised feature in the palpation region to simulate an injected substance in response to the simulated injection; a motor having a drive shaft operably coupled to the cam shaft, wherein the motor is back-drivable such that an external force applied to the raised feature moves the lifters to a planar configuration; a position sensor operably coupled to the motor and configured to send a signal based on a rotational position of the drive shaft, wherein in response to the signal haptic feedback is provided to the user at the raised feature; and a processor that receives the signal from the sensor of the needle-pad device and feedback assembly and generates an output based on a simulation program that directs the motor to rotate the cam shaft to a predetermined position to orient the set of lifters as the raised feature in response to the simulated injection.