Reaction Force Mapping by 3-Axis Tactile Sensing With Arbitrary Angles for Tissue Hard-Inclusion Localization

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Surgical Robotics
• Sensor Technology

Background:

• Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) lacks adequate multi-dimensional force feedback, hindering precise tissue interaction.
• Current tactile sensing methods face limitations in fidelity and robustness for complex surgical tasks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG)-based 3-axis tactile sensor for enhanced force feedback in MIS.
• To enable high-fidelity perception of tissue-instrument interactions, including hard-inclusion identification and localization.

Main Methods:

• A novel tactile sensing probe utilizing five FBGs embedded in a 3D printed deformable body was designed.
• A linearized difference model was employed for calibrating 3-axis force detection and mitigating nonlinearities.
• Experiments involved discrete and dragging palpation to identify hard inclusions and reconstruct tissue surface profiles.

Main Results:

• The FBG-based sensor accurately mapped surface reaction forces and identified hard inclusions of varying sizes and depths.
• Dragging palpation successfully located embedded vessels, and surface profile reconstruction enabled 3D localization of inclusions.
• Ex-vivo porcine kidney tests confirmed the probe's effectiveness in intraoperative force mapping and localization.

Conclusions:

• The developed FBG-based tactile sensor significantly improves force feedback in MIS.
• This technology offers enhanced capabilities for tissue interaction perception, hard-inclusion detection, and 3D localization.
• The probe demonstrates high feasibility for real-world surgical applications, advancing robot-assisted diagnosis and surgery.