{"id":228322,"date":"2025-04-23T14:43:10","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T18:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=228322"},"modified":"2025-04-23T14:43:10","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T18:43:10","slug":"senior-design-team-develops-personalized-breast-self-exam-virtual-reality-training-simulator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2025\/04\/senior-design-team-develops-personalized-breast-self-exam-virtual-reality-training-simulator\/","title":{"rendered":"Senior Design Team Develops Personalized Breast Self-Exam Virtual Reality Training Simulator"},"content":{"rendered":"

Breast cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the U.S., but a UConn Senior Design team\u2019s breakthrough in virtual reality technology could improve access to early detection and, ultimately, save lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cTimely detection is critical in successful treatment of the disease, but common diagnostic tests such as mammograms and MRIs can be expensive and difficult for many populations to access,\u201d explains UConn student Carrie Nguyen \u201925. \u201cMedical professionals recommend that women perform breast self-exams to check for common breast cancer symptoms such as lumps or skin changes, but some women may lack the knowledge regarding proper technique and symptoms to look for.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shame, embarrassment, and discomfort related to the topic also contribute to these challenges, she says.<\/p>\n

Motivated to address these barriers, Nguyen and her teammates\u2014Erin Blaszak \u201925, Grace Bonacci \u201925, Gabriella Bosh \u201925, and Abhishree Kaushik \u201925, are developing a cutting-edge VR simulator designed to empower women with the skills and confidence needed to conduct effective self-exams. The team will present their prototype at UConn\u2019s 2025 Senior Design Demonstration Day<\/a>, held May 2 at Gampel Pavilion.<\/p>\n

Krystyna Gielo-Perczak, associate professor in residence of biomedical engineering, serves as the team\u2019s faculty advisor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe future of biomedical engineering depends on engineers\u2019 ability to contend with challenging biomedical problems and health care needs,\u201d Gielo-Perczak explains. \u201cThe challenges ahead are more than any single branch of science can address. Therefore, a multidisciplinary approach is needed to help prepare undergraduate students. Since industrial partners typically do not have time to perform their own first prototype, senior design projects offer a potential solution.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Krystyna<\/a>
At left, Senior Design advisor and Associate Professor in Residence of Biomedical Engineering Krystyna Gielo-Perczak gathers with her Senior Design team, Grace Bonacci \u201925, Gabriella Bosh \u201925, Erin Blaszak \u201925, Carrie Nguyen \u201925, and Abhishree Kaushik \u201925. (Chris LaRosa\/UConn photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Hands-On Training Experience<\/strong><\/p>\n

The team\u2019s self-exam simulator integrates three core components: a virtual reality headset featuring a customized interface, a mechanical glove with haptic feedback, and a microprocessor that detects and calibrates force in a 3D space.<\/p>\n

When donning the headset and glove, users enter a virtual environment where they can visualize their hand movements in real-time. A digital breast model appears in the VR interface, allowing users to simulate the process of palpating breast tissue.<\/p>\n

\u201cDepending on where you are palpating on the virtual breast, the glove will exert a different level of force onto your fingertips, simulating the feeling of a breast exam with different levels of tissue density,\u201d Nguyen says. \u201cUsing this simulator should give you a better idea of what motions to use when performing a breast exam, how much force to apply, and what to look out for.\u201d<\/p>\n

To enhance accessibility, the team also developed a step-by-step guide within the simulation, complete with visuals and examples of common breast cancer symptoms. \u201cContributing to a Senior Design project centered on women\u2019s health has been a meaningful and rewarding experience,\u201d Blaszak says. \u201cI am excited to be making a positive impact in a space that empowers and supports women.\u201d<\/p>\n

I attached the smallest EMG sensing head of Trigno Mini EMG sensor to hand. In the back, there is visible a Trigno base station with wireless charging sensors . Yes, it is instrumented\/placed on a user before the glove.<\/p>\n

Concept to Creation<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Senior<\/a>
The team will debut their working prototype at Senior Design Demo Day on May 2. (Photo by Chris LaRosa\/UConn photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 2025, a projected 316,950 women in the U.S. could be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, and of those, more than 42,000 could die from the disease. Early detection significantly raises the five-year survival rate to an astounding 99%<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These statistics hit home for Leslie Holton, a consultant with medical technology company and Senior Design sponsor Medtronic. While in graduate school studying medical VR applications, Holton lost her mother to metastatic breast cancer.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom and I talked about the importance of breast self-exams, and of course when I visited the doctor, they would also demonstrate them, which was awkward, deeply personal and emotional,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

In November 2023, Holton attended the Medtronic Research Day workshop, organized by Michael DiDonato, business development manager of UConn\u2019s Innovation Partnership Building. There, Holton and Gielo-Perczak discovered a shared passion for advancing women\u2019s health. Holton proposed a visionary concept: a breast self-exam simulator based on individualized medical imaging.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told her about my concept, and that with today\u2019s gaming interfaces and other technology it seemed like the time was right to develop this further,\u201d Holton recalls. \u201cThe simulator could be deployed in doctors\u2019 offices or brought directly into communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gielo-Perczak suggested the idea to five senior female biomedical engineering students, who enthusiastically embraced the challenge. UConn alumna Emily Jacobs \u201909 (ENG) \u201911 MS \u201916 Ph.D., a senior principle biomedical engineer for Medtronic, agreed to be the local liaison for the project.<\/p>\n

The initial project brief called for a haptic glove capable of delivering tactile feedback, a 3D visual interface, and the use of a real patient\u2019s medical imaging data.<\/p>\n

First, the team obtained an MRI scan of a tumorous breast. By using the programming platform MATLAB, the students \u201cmapped\u201d different densities of breast tissue within the 3D image and measured the force needed to palpate different types of tissue.<\/p>\n

Next, the team designed the mechanical glove equipped with inertial measurement units, or IMUs, on the index, middle, and ring fingertips to track their movement. The glove uses a sophisticated combination of microprocessors, balloons, air pumps, air valves, and double relay modules to exert force onto the fingertips, simulating the feeling of a breast exam.<\/p>\n

Finally, they developed software and programmed a Meta Quest 3S virtual reality headset to display an interactive virtual training space.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am absolutely impressed with what the students have accomplished,\u201d Holton says.<\/p>\n

A Multidisciplinary Approach<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"<\/a>
Krystyna Gielo-Perczak attaches a mini electromyography sensing device to measure the electrical activity of hand muscles. The instrument is placed under the mechanical glove. (Photo by Chris LaRosa, UConn photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While all five students are biomedical engineering majors, each brings unique skills to the table.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all have different experiences with electrical, mechanical, and materials engineering, which complement each other well,\u201d says Nguyen, who\u2019s focusing on imaging and bioinstrumentation.<\/p>\n

Bonacci, who\u2019s concentrating on biomechanics and mechanobiology, admittedly has \u201ctaken a lot of mechanical engineering classes,\u201d however she only had introductory-level knowledge of coding with C+ and image processing. Creating the virtual reality interface, in particular, helped broaden her background in new areas of engineering.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis [Senior Design] project is exciting because it allows a chance to contribute to improving access to breast health education, an area that is often underrepresented in the broader medical community.\u201d \u2014 Grace Bonacci \u201925<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThe Senior Design experience will help me become a more well-rounded engineer,\u201d she says. \u201cThis project is exciting because it allows a chance to contribute to improving access to breast health education, an area that is often underrepresented in the broader medical community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Similarly, Blaszak, who also is concentrating in biomechanics and mechanobiology, discovered that designing the circuit board and troubleshooting the programmable board integration provided an extra challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough this project, I\u2019ve learned to manage my time effectively in a team setting and adapt quickly when things do not go according to the plan,\u201d Blaszak says. \u201cThis experience has not only given me valuable hands-on skills but has also prepared me for my future career in engineering with greater confidence, organization, and teamwork skills.\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking Ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n

As the team nears the end of the academic year, they\u2019re working with the UConn Engineering Electronics Shop to finalize their working prototype in anticipation of Senior Design Demo Day.<\/p>\n

\u201cFuture iterations of this design will improve upon the initial working prototype to increase the accuracy and sensitivity of the device,\u201d Nguyen explains.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A haptic glove uses a sophisticated combination of microprocessors, balloons, and air pumps to exert force onto the fingertips, simulating the feeling of a breast exam.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":201,"featured_media":228326,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_crdt_document":"","wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1866],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2514],"class_list":["post-228322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-engr"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-19 07:05:24","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228322","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/201"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228322"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228322\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":228340,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228322\/revisions\/228340"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/228326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228322"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228322"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228322"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=228322"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=228322"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}