A Flexible Digit with Tactile Feedback for Invasive Clinical Applications

摘要

This paper the describes research on a flexible digit with the feedback of tactile sense, such as is appropriate to endoscopy and other applications of minimal access surgery. The investigation has considered use in clinical practice and cost as principal drivers of the solution. The master-slave system incorporates the application of the distributive sensing method applied to tactile sensing in order to discriminate different contact conditions of the flexible digit. The paper concentrates on the description of the application of this method towards providing a method suited to the needs in diagnosis and navigation by flexible invasive devices, and places this in the context of the user and the system as a whole.