Tactile feedback technology could give keyhole surgeons a virtual sense of feeling tumours while operating. A Leeds University study has combined computer virtualisation with a device that simulates pressure on a surgeon's hand when touching human tissue remotely. This could enable a medic to handle a tumour robotically, and judge if it is malignant or benign. Cancer specialists hope the new system will help to improve future treatment. In current keyhole procedures, a surgeon operates through a tiny incision in the patient's body, guided only by video images. Using keyhole techniques, as opposed to major invasive surgery, helps improve healing and patient recovery. However, surgeons can't feel the tissue they are operating on - something which might help them to find and categorise tumours.
The team of undergraduates at Leeds University has devised a solution that combines a computer-generated virtual simulation with a hand-held haptic feedback device. The system works by varying feedback pressure on the user's hand when the density of the tissue being examined changes. In tests, team members simulated tumours in a human liver using a soft block of silicon embedded with ball bearings. The user was able to locate these lumps using haptic feedback. Engineers hope this will one day allow a surgeon to feel for lumps in tissue during surgery. The project has just been declared one of four top student designs in a global competition run by US technology firm National Instruments.
The team of undergraduates at Leeds University has devised a solution that combines a computer-generated virtual simulation with a hand-held haptic feedback device. The system works by varying feedback pressure on the user's hand when the density of the tissue being examined changes. In tests, team members simulated tumours in a human liver using a soft block of silicon embedded with ball bearings. The user was able to locate these lumps using haptic feedback. Engineers hope this will one day allow a surgeon to feel for lumps in tissue during surgery. The project has just been declared one of four top student designs in a global competition run by US technology firm National Instruments.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14540581