Researchers have developed an ‘off-the-jaw’ sensing system that restores tactile feedback in minimally invasive surgery.
Early trials have demonstrated a 30% improvement in surgical task efficiency, highlighting the practical impact of this technology on surgical performance.
The team plans to refine this system for robotic-assisted surgeries and explore even more sensitive microfluidic-based sensors for enhanced tissue differentiation.
Developed at New York University (NYU) in the Abu Dhabi Advanced Microfluidics and Microdevices Laboratory, the system integrates force and angle sensors into the handle of laparoscopic tools.
It offers surgeons real-time measurements of grasping forces along with insights into tissue stiffness and thickness.
Traditional MIS tools eliminate the surgeon’s sense of touch, making it challenging to gauge the appropriate force to apply or differentiate between various tissue types. This absence of tactile feedback can result in errors, including over- or under-grasping delicate tissues.
The off-the-jaw design by NYU Abu Dhabi researchers marks a notable shift from past methods, which generally involved placing sensors directly at the jaws of surgical instruments. This innovation is the first to separate the sensing mechanism from the surgical area.
Additionally, it offers a cost-effective solution that works with any commercially available laparoscopic tool, tackling issues such as sensor integration, wiring complexity, contamination and sterilisation needs.
The new technology could also shorten training for new surgeons by providing objective tactile feedback.
Its scalability means it could be adapted for robotic-assisted surgery, endoscopy, telemedicine, and other medical applications.
In a statement, Mohammad A. Qasaimeh, NYU Abu Dhabi associate professor of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering, said: ‘Minimally invasive surgery has revolutionised the field, but the lack of tactile feedback remains a challenge. Our new system restores this missing sense of touch, giving surgeons real-time tissue stiffness and thickness data. This off-the-jaw approach eliminates contamination risks and makes the technology easier to integrate without requiring complex modifications to existing surgical tools.’
The plan is to enhance this system for robotic-assisted surgeries and investigate even more sensitive microfluidic-based sensors for better tissue differentiation.
The findings are published in IEEE Access.
