Artikel
Tactile sensors for robot guided intraoperative neurosurgery
Taktile Sensorik für die Roboter-geführte intraoperative Neurochirurgie
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Veröffentlicht: | 11. April 2007 |
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Objective: Intraoperative robotic applications are in the majority of cases manipulator based systems. These are in terms of level of automation passively acting systems providing the surgeon a precise trajectory for tissue manipulation. Indications for actively intervening robots are usually limited to hard tissue robotic applications like bone processing as in craniotomy or orthopaedic surgery or for interventions in geometrically fixed situs as stereotactic procedures.
Introduction of robotics for more complex soft tissue surgery with the necessity of real time reaction on tissue deformation and dislocation are considerably limited not only to intelligent decision making algorithms or to heavy-handed dexterity as an efferent motor problem but also by lacking an efficient sensory system.
Sensory perception has to capture the visual aspect of the surgical situs as well as further physicochemical properties of the tissue under investigation. The development of a tool for intraoperative tactile perception will be a highly challenging task to perform and improve the safety during surgery.
Methods: A resonant vibrating piezoelectric bimorph sensor was implemented for a high precision tissue elasticity determination. The bimorph sensor was attached via a force torque sensor to a 6 axis, articulated industrial robot (RX60B, Stäubli). The force torque sensor was interconnected to ensure a defined, non-harming bimorph sensor load. Differences in brain tissue elasticity was simulated using gelatine-gel resp. PVC-gel preparations with minute concentration gradients.
Results: Using the robot guided bimorph sensor system, subtle differences in tissue phantoms elasticity could clearly be differentiated. The bimorph sensor’s resolution was even increased against human ability to discriminate elasticity changes.
Conclusions: Providing tactile sensory perception systems is not yet a sufficient but a crucial precondition for soft tissue surgical robotic applications. More sophisticated sensor systems have to be established to even determine dignity of tumorous alterated tissue.