ACS Surgeons and Engineers 2026 in Chicago
On March 10–11, 2026, the lab took part in Surgeons and Engineers: A Dialogue on Surgical Simulation, the meeting organized by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) in Chicago, Illinois (USA). Our abstract was accepted for poster presentation.
What we presented
Haptic Models Protocol with AI: Transforming Learning and Surgery
Andrés Felipe Vargas Cuadros, Jonathan Camargo Leyva, Luis Felipe Cabrera Vargas (MD, FACS), Emmanuel Forero, Luisa Fernanda Leal Puig, María Díaz Sánchez and Melissa Hernández Hoyos — Universidad de los Andes and Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, Colombia
Surgeons build much of their skill through touch: how tissue resists, gives way and responds to an instrument. Haptic models are physical simulators that reproduce that feel, so trainees can practice before they ever operate on a patient. Our work proposes a protocol that combines haptic models with artificial intelligence to support both surgical learning and the preparation of real procedures.
The project is a collaboration between engineers and surgeons, which is exactly the kind of dialogue the meeting is built around. Andrés Felipe Vargas Cuadros was the presenting author.
About the event
Surgeons and Engineers: A Dialogue on Surgical Simulation is an ACS meeting that brings together surgeons, engineers, educators and industry to discuss how simulation can improve surgical training and patient safety. The ACS is one of the largest surgical organizations in the world, and the meeting is a space where clinical needs and engineering solutions meet face to face. The 2026 edition was held in person only.
Outcomes and takeaways
- A poster presented at an ACS meeting on surgical simulation.
- A joint Universidad de los Andes – Pontificia Universidad Javeriana team of engineers and surgeons.
- Feedback from surgeons and simulation specialists on how to bring haptic models and AI into surgical training.
Links
- Vargas Cuadros, A. F., Camargo Leyva, J., Cabrera Vargas, L. F., Forero, E., Leal Puig, L. F., Díaz Sánchez, M., Hernández Hoyos, M. "Haptic Models Protocol with AI: Transforming Learning and Surgery." Poster, 2026 Surgeons and Engineers: A Dialogue on Surgical Simulation, ACS, Chicago, 2026.
- American College of Surgeons (ACS): facs.org