A TACTILE PROBEFOR USE IN MINIMAL ACCESS SURGERY

摘要

During minimal access surgery (MAS) operations, the surgeon performs thernnecessary procedures using long slender instruments, which are passed through smallrnaccess wounds. The surgeon cannot access the operating site with his own hands andrnfingers and consequently he loses the important sense of touch that he uses routinely inrnopen surgery. Here a tactile probe for use in MAS is described. It is for tissuernassessment. It consists of a touch sensor attached to the end of sinusoidally vibratingrnrod. When the sensor indents the tissue a sinusoidal motion is transmitted to the tissue.rnThe output of the sensor is the contact force between the tissue and the probe tip. Thisrnis used to identify the dynamic properties of the tissue. The design and implementationrnof the tactile probe are described. Simple experiments involving simulated tissue havernbeen undertaken and the results of these are reported.