Robotic Arm Can Feel Tumors

Aug-18-15 A new robotic tool able to “feel” tumors could broaden the options for using robotics to perform minimally invasive surgeries.

Since tumors can look the same as healthy tissue, surgeons will often feel the tissue to determine whether it is cancerous or not—a technique generally not possible with robotics. To open the door to more robotic surgeries, such as those performed by the Da Vinci robot, a team from Canadian Surgical Technologies & Advanced Robotics (CSTAR) and Western University has created a robotic arm equipped with an ultrasound transducer and a tactile sensor. By switching between the two sensors, the clinician can analyze the suspected tumor using either method and compare the images.

The tactile arm was developed as an entry in the 2015 Surgical Robot Challenge.

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[MEDGADGET.COM]
[HAMLYN.DOC.ID.AK.UK]

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