MiniTac: An Ultra-Compact 8 mm Vision-Based Tactile Sensor for Enhanced Palpation in Robot-Assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery

TL;DR

MiniTac is an ultra-compact, vision-based tactile sensor designed for robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery, enabling tissue palpation and tumor detection within constrained surgical environments.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, ultra-compact photonic elastomer-based tactile sensor that integrates seamlessly into existing surgical robots for enhanced tissue palpation.

Findings

Successfully detects tumors on tissue surfaces and in deeper layers

Demonstrates effective palpation capabilities in phantom and ex-vivo tissues

Fits within 8 mm diameter for seamless integration into surgical tools

Abstract

Robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery (RAMIS) provides substantial benefits over traditional open and laparoscopic methods. However, a significant limitation of RAMIS is the surgeon's inability to palpate tissues, a crucial technique for examining tissue properties and detecting abnormalities, restricting the widespread adoption of RAMIS. To overcome this obstacle, we introduce MiniTac, a novel vision-based tactile sensor with an ultra-compact cross-sectional diameter of 8 mm, designed for seamless integration into mainstream RAMIS devices, particularly the Da Vinci surgical systems. MiniTac features a novel mechanoresponsive photonic elastomer membrane that changes color distribution under varying contact pressures. This color change is captured by an embedded miniature camera, allowing MiniTac to detect tumors both on the tissue surface and in deeper layers typically obscured from endoscopic view. MiniTac's efficacy has been rigorously tested on both phantoms and ex-vivo tissues. By leveraging advanced mechanoresponsive photonic materials, MiniTac represents a significant advancement in integrating tactile sensing into RAMIS, potentially expanding its applicability to a wider array of clinical scenarios that currently rely on traditional surgical approaches.