Visual-Tactile Sensing for Minimally Invasive Palpation
Research output: Contribution to book/Conference proceedings/Anthology/Report › Conference contribution › Contributed › peer-review
Contributors
Abstract
We present a compact, low-cost solution for palpation and imaging in minimally invasive surgery and other applications requiring a small diameter. The design, called CERVA, employs a soft 8 mm silicone lens profile at the tip of a flexible endoscope. The surface is semi-relective: when illuminated from inside, light reflects to create a high-resolution tactile display. When illuminated externally, the camera can perform direct imaging of tissue. A compelling application is cervical colposcopy, where the combination of imaging and tactile display may help to identify high-risk cervical regions. We demonstrate the tactile capabilities of the sensor by comparing contact areas to classical models and through an in vivo tissue classification task. Using a phantom created to simulate stage 1A cervical cancer, we also demonstrate the imaging capabilities through visual inspection in comparison to images taken using an endoscope without the tactile dome. Our results suggest that CERVA is a promising solution to improve the accuracy of minimally-invasive palpation for data sharing between populations.
Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Proceedings of the 2026 Design of Medical Devices Conference, DMD 2026 |
| Publisher | American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| ISBN (electronic) | 978-0-7918-8943-5 |
| Publication status | Published - 2026 |
| Peer-reviewed | Yes |
Conference
| Title | 2026 Design of Medical Devices Conference |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | DMD 2026 |
| Duration | 20 - 22 April 2026 |
| Website | |
| Location | University of Minnesota |
| City | Minneapolis |
| Country | United States of America |
External IDs
| ORCID | /0000-0001-9430-8433/work/219977176 |
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Keywords
Sustainable Development Goals
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Keywords
- cervical cancer, endoscopy, robotic assisted surgery, Tactile sensing, vision-based tactile sensing