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Tactile Feedback in Surgical Robotics

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Surgical Robotics

Abstract

While commercial surgical robotic systems have provided improvements to minimally invasive surgery, such as 3D stereoscopic visualization, improved range of motion, and increased precision, they have been designed with only limited haptic feedback. A number of robotic surgery systems are currently under development with integrated kinesthetic feedback systems, providing a sense of resistance to the hands or arms of the user. However, the application of tactile feedback systems has been limited to date. The challenges and potential benefits associated with the development of tactile feedback systems to surgical robotics are discussed. A tactile feedback system, featuring piezoresistive force sensors and pneumatic silicone-based balloon actuators, is presented. Initial tests with the system mounted on a commercial robotic surgical system have indicated that tactile feedback may potentially reduce grip forces applied to tissues and sutures during robotic surgery, while also providing high spatial and tactile resolution.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. E. Carmack Holmes and Mrs. Cheryl Hein for their support, and Mr. Miguel Franco, Ms. Adrienne Higa, and Dr. Catherine Lewis for their hard work and dedication to this project. The authors most gratefully appreciate funding provided for this work by the Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC)/Department of Defense under award number W81XWH-05-2-0024. Additional funding for James W. Bisley is provided by an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship and a Klingenstein Fellowship Award.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Advanced Surgical and Interventional Technology (CASIT), University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Martin O. Culjat

  2. Department of Surgery, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Martin O. Culjat

  3. Department of Bioengineering, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Martin O. Culjat

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  1. Martin O. Culjat
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  2. James W. Bisley
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  3. Chih-Hung King
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  4. Christopher Wottawa
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  5. Richard E. Fan
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  6. Erik P. Dutson
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  7. Warren S. Grundfest
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Correspondence to Martin O. Culjat .

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  1. Baskin School of Engineering SOE-3, Department of Computer Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, 95064, California, USA

    Jacob Rosen

  2. , Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Washington, Box 325500, Seattle, 98195-2500, Washington, USA

    Blake Hannaford

  3. Medical Center, Dept. Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, 98195, Washington, USA

    Richard M. Satava

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Culjat, M.O. et al. (2011). Tactile Feedback in Surgical Robotics. In: Rosen, J., Hannaford, B., Satava, R. (eds) Surgical Robotics. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1126-1_19

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