An indentation depth—force sensing wheeled probe for abnormality identification during minimally invasive surgery

Abstract

This paper presents a novel wheeled probe for the purpose of aiding a surgeon in soft tissue abnormality identification during minimally invasive surgery (MIS), compensating the loss of haptic feedback commonly associated with MIS. Initially, a prototype for validating the concept was developed. The wheeled probe consists of an indentation depth sensor employing an optic fibre sensing scheme and a force/torque sensor. The two sensors work in unison, allowing the wheeled probe to measure the tool-tissue interaction force and the rolling indentation depth concurrently. The indentation depth sensor was developed and initially tested on a homogenous silicone phantom representing a good model for a soft tissue organ; the results show that the sensor can accurately measure the indentation depths occurring while performing rolling indentation, and has good repeatability. To validate the ability of the wheeled probe to identify abnormalities located in the tissue, the device was tested on a silicone phantom containing embedded hard nodules. The experimental data demonstrate that recording the tissue reaction force as well as rolling indentation depth signals during rolling indentation, the wheeled probe can rapidly identify the distribution of tissue stiffness and cause the embedded hard nodules to be accurately located.

A novel 4-DOF surgical instrument with modular joints and 6-Axis Force sensing capability

“…The outputs of the six channels are noted in each cycle. According to the linear least square method, the calibration matrix presented in is calculated, and the result is described in . Calibration results for the sensor in each axis are shown in Figure in each graph, and output values in the other five axes show that the inter‐dimensional coupling expected is close to zero.…”

“…Many force sensing methods are proposed to solve the problem of lack of force feedback in MIS. These methods include resistive‐based and optical‐based sensing , and some surgical instruments with miniature force sensors have been designed, such as scalpels, forceps, and graspers .…”

A Force-Visualized Silicone Retractor Attachable to Surgical Suction Pipes

“…Polygerinos et al [22,23,24,25] also utilized an optical sensing scheme and presented several types of force sensors for catheterization. Liu et al [26] identified tissue abnormality by a wheeled probe. Ahmadi et al [27] developed an MRI-compatible optical fiber tactile sensor.…”

Reviewing the technological challenges associated with the development of a laparoscopic palpation device

“…Different modes of palpation device: (a) a laparoscopic grasper with tactile array , a laparoscopic ‘paddle’ with tactile array , a rolling indentation system and a deformable indentation probe . All figures used with permission.…”