Haptic and Palpation Sensing for Robotic Surgery: Engineering Perspectives on Design and Integration

Area of Science:

• Engineering and Systems Science
• Surgical Technology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) offers enhanced dexterity and visualization but lacks tactile feedback.
• The absence of palpation sensing increases cognitive load, training time, and risk of tissue injury.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine palpation sensing in RAS from an engineering and system-integration perspective.
• To identify challenges and opportunities for restoring tactile information in robotic surgery.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent advances in force, tactile, vibroacoustic, audio, and optical sensor technologies.
• Analysis of challenges in clinical translation, including sensor miniaturization, sterilization, robustness, integration, and standardization.
• Exploration of AI, multimodal sensor fusion, and intra-operative imaging for enhanced palpation.

Main Results:

• New sensor technologies can quantitatively assess tissue mechanical properties, often exceeding human sensitivity.
• Clinical translation is hindered by practical engineering and integration challenges.
• AI and sensor fusion with advanced visualization are key to overcoming limitations.

Conclusions:

• Restoring palpation sensing is essential for improving safety and efficiency in RAS.
• Dedicated robotic palpation devices and wireless probes are promising transitional solutions.
• Enhanced palpation sensing is a prerequisite for higher levels of autonomy in future RAS platforms.