Integrating virtual reality and large language models for team-based non-technical skills training and evaluation in the operating room - npj Digital Surgery

VORTeX is a multi-user virtual reality platform designed to train and objectively assess non-technical skills in surgical teams. The system enables participants to collaborate in networked operating room scenarios that simulate routine and emergent intraoperative events. It comprises a consumer-grade VR headset, a simulation engine, and a feedback engine, plus a physiology module that governs patient dynamics and an interaction module that coordinates actions through controller inputs. All verbal exchanges and events are timestamped and analyzed by an LLM guided by NOTSS prompts to generate directed interaction graphs that quantify team structure and information flow. Unlike traditional simulators, VORTeX prioritizes accessibility and distributed deployment using affordable hardware.