Info
Sutton Caplan Industrial Designer based in Los Angeles, CA







Bridge - VR tools for surgical education





Bridge was designed to enhance VR education and training for surgeons. With an endless amount of tools to learn, Bridge consolidates the most common tools used in general surgery. Throughout this project, I balanced form, function, and ergonomics in relation to surgical tools while aiming to keep everything approachable for new learners.
 


 Type
Year
Duration
Software
Disciplines Bachelor Thesis
2025
18 Weeks
Rhino, Gravity Sketch, Keyshot, Adobe CC
Research, Ideation, CAD, Prototyping, Visualization







Key Insight Trigger grip controllers aren’t conducive to surgical training.


                                                                                                                                                                                         
Standard VR controller. Common hand positions in general surgery.








Consolidating instruments.Through research and interviews, I was able to combine common tools 
used in general surgery into four categories.











Connecting form, function, and emotion.










A variety of tools for informed refinement.
Gravity Sketch was used to better understand the headset form in three dimensions and to fine-tune the ergonomics. 
Once the main form was defined, Rhino was used to iterate and refine. 3D printing along the way to validate iterations. 

















Validating ergonomics. 3D printing enabled the testing of ergonomics, 
proportions, and interactions.
  








Bridge - the future of surgical education.
















Four Controllers.
Designed to improve hand-eye coordination 
and enhance simulations with a range of surgical instruments.








     



Suction
The sliding dial allows for precise modulation of simulated airflow.

 








ForcepsCovers over 30 scissor-grip tools used in general surgery. 
Control buttons placed on the side allow for tool selection 
with the pointer finger.  








Tweezer/Clamp The tweezer/clamp controller can be used in a pinching or squeezing motion. 








ScalpelThe pencil grip controller combines a curette, scalpel, 
electrocautery pen, and a syringe. The button on the top allows for 
realistic syringe simulations while the buttons on the side 
allow the pointer finger to be used for tool selection.






















Controller tracking.
Inside-out tracking cameras were placed
in corners of the headset to provide a large 
tracking radius.











                               Adjustable fit.                      The back strap allows users to fine
                      tune their fit. Pressing the knob releases 
                      the strap for easy removal.





























435.754.6919 suttoncaplan@gmail.com
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