
New sensors developed by UCLA researchers can be placed upon surgical tools to offer physical feedback during robotic surgery. Each one is no larger than a quarter. (Deepto Mizan/Daily Bruin)
UCLA engineers developed a novel sensor that could add a sense of “touch” to robotic surgery.
Robert Candler, an associate professor of electrical engineering, helped develop a haptic feedback sensor that, when placed on the tips of surgical instruments, would provide feedback on the various forces exerted on body tissues to better guide surgery.
In robotic surgery, surgeons use controllers to guide robotic surgical instruments inside the body.
The new technology would provide haptic feedback in the form of vibrations, forces and buzzes, which is currently not available in robotic surgery.
“The bad thing is surgeons don’t have a sense of touch while using them,” Candler said. “You can see what you’re doing, but imagine trying to tie your shoes without having a sense of touch.”
In the study, published in Biomedical Microdevices earlier this month, researchers tested the sensors on robotic surgery tools with novice trainees to determine whether the new technology helped the trainees effectively make knots in tissues without breaking or damaging them. These delicate knots and stitches in the tissue are known as sutures.
Jake Pensa, a graduate student in bioengineering, helped design the regulation system for the sensors’ output. He said sutures that break can cause hemorrhaging, which can damage the affected tissues and vessels via blood loss.
“Tying surgical knots is an exact science in itself, so we want it done in the right way,” Pensa said.
The researchers found that the trainees managed to break fewer sutures when aided by the robots with haptic feedback sensors.
Jonathan King, a general surgeon at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, was not directly involved in the study but said he was excited by the potential benefits of the new technology.
“Robotic minimally invasive surgeries allows us to sew using finer sutures, but without physical feedback, we must use visual cues,” King said. “(Haptic feedback) would help trainees to get better used to the robotic tools and avoid breaking sutures.”
Mark Girgis, a surgeon at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, was also interested in how the sensor technology could be applied to many types of surgery.
“Haptic feedback would generally help with all kinds of surgeries, especially for fine dissection around structures such as blood vessels and nerves,” Girgis said.
Candler said the team hopes to better integrate the sensor with the robotic surgical tools in order to make it ready for clinical usage.
“Just like when you feel the sliding feeling when you tie your shoes tightly, it’s a different kind of force compared to a compression force or normal force,” Pensa said. “We want the surgeons to be able to ‘feel’ the tissue.”
Learn more: Development of haptic sensors allows for physical feedback in robotic surgery
The Latest on: Robotic surgery
[google_news title=”” keyword=”robotic surgery” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Robotic surgery
- In a first, baby born from uterus transplanted, implanted via roboton June 6, 2023 at 10:21 pm
The baby, measuring 49 centimetres and weighing 3kg and 100 grams, was delivered by planned caesarean section last week..health. healthcare. child. child birth. robotic surgery. organ transplant.
- Royal Surrey robotic surgery team sets new recordon June 6, 2023 at 3:24 pm
Dr Chedid added: "In a single day we have significantly reduced our waiting list and 12 men who were anxiously awaiting surgery have received the care they need. "No cases were rushed and the ...
- Delhi: Robotic surgery helps remove 600g adrenal tumour in 2-year-old girlon June 6, 2023 at 7:19 am
Doctors at BLK-Max Super Speciality Hospital have successfully removed a 600 gram tumour, located in adrenal glands above the left kidney of a two-year-old girl, weighing 11.5kg through a minimally ...
- World’s first childbirth following a uterus transplantation achieved solely by robot-assisted surgeryon June 6, 2023 at 1:37 am
This time, the donor and recipient alike were operated on entirely by means of robot-assisted laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery — simply stated, "robot surgery" — with no open-surgery ...
- KBC Zagreb: Robot Performs Over 400 Surgerieson June 5, 2023 at 1:57 am
More than 400 precise surgeries to remove prostate cancer have been performed at the Croatian national robotic centre, KBC Zagreb points out.
- Child born from transplanted uterus implanted using robot surgery in world firston June 4, 2023 at 7:27 am
The world-leading research team at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, operated on both women entirely by means of robot-assisted keyhole surgery with no open-surgery stage ...
- UK robot surgeons treat women with endometriosison June 4, 2023 at 6:13 am
In the UK, robot surgeons that cost a whopping £2 million ($2.5 million) each are helping thousands of women plagued by the painful womb condition endometriosis.
- Altru surgeon uses robotic technology to improve joint replacement outcomeson June 2, 2023 at 12:28 pm
Casey Fugleberg, a representative of Stryker, a medical equipment manufacturer, monitors progress of a robot-assisted knee replacement surgery by Dr. Jeremy Gardner at Altru on March 8 ...
- ‘Like a video game’: why students excel at Europe’s first robot surgery schoolon June 2, 2023 at 9:35 am
A robot with four arms rotates over an operating table while trainee surgeons push surgical instruments into a simulated abdomen. On the other side of the lab a ...
- Robotic Surgery: Who Will Be the Next Top Dog?on May 30, 2023 at 5:00 pm
Robotic surgery pioneer Intuitive Surgical celebrated a big milestone this week: The number of robotic-assisted procedures performed worldwide using the da Vinci surgical system has just surpassed 10 ...
via Bing News