A computerized system for performing a simulated medical procedure,
comprises: (a) a physically simulated interventional instrument that
looks and feels like an endoscope, for providing user input to a computer
simulated medical angioplasty procedure; (b) a motion detector circuit to
provide navigation signals representative of the movement of the
physically simulated interventional instrument, the motion detector
comprising a laser radiation detector, used for determining the location
of the interventional instrument in a predetermined area in proximity to
the detector and a laser radiation emitter used for emitting a laser beam
toward the predetermined area; and (c) a movement calculation unit
receiving the navigation signals from the motion detector circuit, and
programmed to update the position of a corresponding software simulation
of the interventional instrument. A tactile feedback mechanism may be
included for providing simulated tactile feedback back to the physically
simulated interventional instrument according to the calculated position
of the software interventional instrument in the computer simulation.