Development of Laparoscopic Right Hemicolectomy Training Simulator "COLOMASTER"
-An anatomically accurate simulator capable of reproducing the entire surgery from start to finish -
This collaborative research achievement between EBM Corp. and the National Cancer Center Hospital East
EBM Corp. (Headquarters: Ota-ku, Tokyo, Research Institute: Fukushima City, Fukushima
Prefecture, Representative: Youngkwang Park) released a new product, the Laparoscopic Right
Hemicolectomy Training Simulator COLOMASTER, on January 12, 2024 (Friday). This new
product is a commercialization of a prototype developed through collaborative research with
the National Cancer Center, Japan (President: Hitoshi Nakagama, Chuo-ku, Tokyo).
Training for surgeons typically involves the use of animals, cadavers, and simulators.
However, the use of animals or cadavers presents ethical and cost barriers, and it is difficult to
ensure adequate environmental conditions. Furthermore, there was no simulator available for
training surgeons to perform all stages of surgery using the forceps and devices commonly
used in actual surgeries. Therefore, our company collaborated with the Department of
Colorectal Surgery at the National Cancer Center Hospital East to develop an anatomically
accurate simulator capable of reproducing the entire surgery from start to finish (location:
NEXT Medical Device Development Center). With this simulator, surgeons can acquire skills
such as understanding anatomical structures, expanding their field of view, and mastering
dissection techniques, which are crucial during surgery. This enables the realization of highquality,
cost-effective training environments anywhere in the world, further contributing to the
improvement of surgical skills.
Laparoscopic Right Hemicolectomy Surgery Simulator ”COLOMASTER”
The intricate structures of blood vessels and membrane tissues are replicated with
ultra-precision at the millimeter scale.
In previous simulators, surgical training was conducted by extracting and deforming certain parts of
the overall surgical process. With COLOMASTER, however, crucial anatomical structures such as the
mesentery and peritoneum, as well as organs including the stomach, duodenum, pancreas, colon,
small intestine, and kidneys, are meticulously and anatomically accurately reproduced with precision down to 1mm. This precision allows for the precise training of laparoscopic right hemicolectomy surgery,
which was previously challenging. Additionally, this simulator can be effectively utilized for function evaluation during the development process of surgical robots, which have shown remarkable
advancements in recent years, as well as for training in robot-assisted surgery.
Perspectives
In the future, we anticipate rapid nationwide adoption through collaboration with major medical
device manufacturers, utilizing COLOMASTER for training on the safe and appropriate use of their
respective products. Additionally, our company established a local subsidiary, Sim Force One Inc., in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, on July 4, 2023. This allows us to commence direct sales to the global market.
