Many percutaneous medical procedures rely upon clinicians performing precise needle insertion in soft tissue. The utility of haptic simulation systems in training clinicians for these procedures is highly dependent upon the ability to render accurate insertion force feedback. This thesis presents a piecewise mathematical model for insertion force that does not require tissue material properties, detailed mechanical approximations, or complex computations. Through manipulation of model

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... , a wide variety of insertion tasks and clinical scenarios can be modeled. A MATLAB based algorithm was developed to estimate the model parameters required to replicate experimentally measured needle insertion forces. Laboratory based insertion experiments were then conducted with several combinations of needle and tissue types, including both artificial and animal tissue. Using the MATLAB algorithm to estimate model parameters, the model was found to replicate the measured insertion forces with an average absolute mean error of less than 0.05N in 11 of 12 needle and tissue combinations tested. Upon validating model adaptability to different insertion tasks, the ability to deliberately manipulate the model to simulate clinical variability was demonstrated. Through modification of model parameters, a model of porcine skin insertion was altered to reflect a thicker tissue sample and a stiffer tissue sample. With further development, the potential utility of this model in simulation training is two-fold: simplicity in adapting to train different insertion procedures and enhanced training through manipulation of specific features of insertion forces. ii