DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT OF A 2-DOF MINIATURE FORCE SENSOR FOR SURGICAL PROCEDURES

ABSTRACT Force sensing is an important component for a number of surgical procedures as it can help to prevent undesirable damage to the tissue and at the same time provides the surgeons with a better "feel" of the tool-tissue interaction. However, most of the current commercially available multi-DOF force sensors are relatively large in size and it is a challenge to incorporate them into the surgical tool. Hence, a multi-DOF miniature force sensor is desired and this paper presents the design and development of a miniature 2-DOF force sensor. In order to achieve a miniature force sensor, microfabrication technique is used and the proposed force sensor is a capacitive-based sensor. The proposed force sensor can be used in a number of percutaneous procedures as well as catheter-based procedures. This paper presents the design and microfabrication process of the proposed miniature force sensor

Fiber bragg gratings for medical applications and future challenges: A review

In the last decades, fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) have become increasingly attractive to medical applications due to their unique properties such as small size, biocompatibility, immunity to electromagnetic interferences, high sensitivity and multiplexing capability. FBGs have been employed in the development of surgical tools, assistive devices, wearables, and biosensors, showing great potentialities for medical uses. This paper reviews the FBG-based measuring systems, their principle of work, and their applications in medicine and healthcare. Particular attention is given to sensing solutions for biomechanics, minimally invasive surgery, physiological monitoring, and medical biosensing. Strengths, weaknesses, open challenges, and future trends are also discussed to highlight how FBGs can meet the demands of next-generation medical devices and healthcare system

Fiber Bragg Gratings for Medical Applications and Future Challenges: A Review

[EN] In the last decades, fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) have become increasingly attractive to medical applications due to their unique properties such as small size, biocompatibility, immunity to electromagnetic interferences, high sensitivity and multiplexing capability. FBGs have been employed in the development of surgical tools, assistive devices, wearables, and biosensors, showing great potentialities for medical uses. This paper reviews the FBG-based measuring systems, their principle of work, and their applications in medicine and healthcare. Particular attention is given to sensing solutions for biomechanics, minimally invasive surgery, physiological monitoring, and medical biosensing. Strengths, weaknesses, open challenges, and future trends are also discussed to highlight how FBGs can meet the demands of next-generation medical devices and healthcare system.This work was supported in part by INAIL (the Italian National Institute for Insurance against Accident at Work), through the BRIC (Bando ricerche in collaborazione) 2018 SENSE-RISC (Sviluppo di abiti intelligENti Sensorizzati per prevenzione e mitigazione di Rischi per la SiCurezza dei lavoratori) Project under Grant ID10/2018, in part by the UCBM (Universita Campus Bio-Medico di Roma) under the University Strategic HOPE (HOspital to the PatiEnt) Project, in part by the EU Framework Program H2020-FETPROACT-2018-01 NeuHeart Project under Grant GA 824071, by FCT/MEC (Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia) under the Projects UIDB/50008/2020 - UIDP/50008/2020, and by REACT (Development of optical fiber solutions for Rehabilitation and e-Health applications) FCT-IT-LA scientific action.Lo Presti, D.; Massaroni, C.; Leitao, CSJ.; Domingues, MDF.; Sypabekova, M.; Barrera, D.; Floris, I.... (2020). Fiber Bragg Gratings for Medical Applications and Future Challenges: A Review. IEEE Access. 8:156863-156888. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2020.3019138S156863156888

Force Sensing in Arthroscopic Instruments using Fiber Bragg Gratings

Minimally-invasive surgery has revolutionized many medical procedures; however, it also impedes the ability to feel the interaction between the surgical tool and the anatomical part being operated on. In order to address this problem, it is necessary to obtain accurate measurements of the interaction forces exerted on the surgical tools during surgery. These forces can then be manifested to the surgeon via a haptic device or presented visually (visual-force feedback). This thesis describes the use of a fiber optic device to measure and display to the surgeon interaction forces acting on an arthroscopic tool. The sensorization of the tool involves a simple, highly efficient and robust design and is ideally suited for use in a surgical training environment aimed at narrowing the gap between trainees and expert surgeons before the trainees proceed to their first surgery in vivo. The major advantages of using fiber optics include their small size, their local simplicity, their ease of sterilization, and their high sensitivity. In this thesis, a complete low-cost sensing solution is described, including 1) the use of fiber Bragg grating and long period grating sensors, 2) design of a low-cost optical interrogator, 3) high resolution electronic signal processing, and 4) fabrication of the tool using wire EDM, CNC, and 3D metal sintering technologies. The full design of an arthroscopic grasper is presented, along with the preliminary design and manufacturing of an arthroscopic probe and shaver. The designed low-cost system was compared with a commercially-available optical interrogator. The calibration and experimental results for this system are presented and discussed for accuracy and performance of the sensorized tool before and after an axial element was added for increased sensitivity. Sources of error and methods of improvement for the optical system, arthroscopic tool, and testing procedures are discussed to inform the design of future generations of these instruments

Mobility, Navigation and Localization Towards Robotic Endoscopy

With significant progress being made towards improving endoscope technology such as capsule endoscopy and robotic endoscopy, the development of advanced strategies for manipulating, controlling and more generally, easing the accessibility of these devices for physicians is an important next step. This work presents the development of several robotic platforms for experimentally testing navigation and localization strategies in robotic endoscopy followed by the development and testing of navigation strategies using these devices. Finally, visual and visual inertial localization and mapping is explored on two of these robotic systems. We first present a detailed description on the state-of-the-art with regard to minimally invasive robotic surgery and then follow this with in-depth description of our design and validation of two important systems, the Robotic Endoscope Platform (REP) and the Modular Endoscopy Simulation Apparatus (MESA), for exploring some of the challenges in robotic endoscopy. Following these descriptions we present a technique for autonomous navigation of the REP within the MESA as well as an attempt at applying Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) to allow for the real-time localization of this system. Finally, we transition these techniques to the Endoculus, a complete robotic endoscope suitable for in vivo testing, and demonstrate both autonomous navigation for this device, and the implementation of three different SLAM systems for localization and mapping of the Endoculus system in real-time. Throughout these experiments we demonstrate the potential for advanced methods in computer vision along with other sensory techniques to substantially benefit endoscopy, enabling greater and greater autonomy of these systems and furthering the case for robotic endoscopy as a whole.</p