Pneumatic Haptic Feedback System for MIS

Robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery offers improved range of motion over standard laparoscopic techniques, but is characterized by a total loss of haptic feedback, requiring surgeons to rely solely on visual clues. Visual information is sufficient for many procedures, however, it is often challenging to characterize tissues and apply appropriate forces to sutures without tactile information. Tactile feedback may also enable expansion of robotic surgery to other surgical procedures that are difficult to perform without a sense of touch. Like robotic surgery, there are various robotic applications that could be aided by the addition of tactile feedback to the operator, such as industrial and military robotics, microassembly, and space applications.

The development of a pneumatic balloon-based tactile feedback system is currently underway at CASIT. Forces are detected at the distal end of the robotic grasper via a force sensor array, and the forces from each sensor element are translated to proportional pressures that are applied to the surgeon's fingers via balloon actuator arrays. This system is currently under development for use with the Da Vinci robotic surgical system, and a reduction in grasping force has already been demonstrated using the system.

The loss of sensory tactile feedback is often referred to as one of the largest drawbacks associated with robotic surgery. The CASIT vibro-pneumatic haptic feedback system was designed as an add-on solution to this problem by providing simulated multi-modal feedback to the surgeon’s fingertips to emulate the natural sensation of touch. Testing of the device has demonstrated the capability to: reduce tissue damage from high grasping forces, diminish visual-perceptual mismatch, reduce suture failure, increase knot quality, and improve tissue characterization. 

Tactile Sensor

Tactile Peg Transfer Test

Mounted Actuator

Investigators:

Erik Dutson, MD
Division of General Surgery

Warren Grundfest, MD
Department of Bioengineering, Electrical Engineering, Surgery

Graduate Students:
Ahmad Abiri

Alumni:
Chih-Hung (Aaron) King, PhD
Miguel Franco, MS
Adrienne Higa, MS
Christopher Wottowa, PhD

Publications in Peer-Reviewed Journals:

1. Culjat MO, King CH, Franco ML, Bisley JW, Dutson E, Grundfest WS, "Pneumatic Balloon Actuators for Tactile Feedback in Robotic Surgery," Industrial Robot, 35(5), 449-455, 2008.
2. Franco ML, King CH, Culjat MO, Lewis CE, Bisley JW, Holmes EC, Grundfest WS, Dutson EP, "*An integrated pneumatic tactile feedback actuator array for robotic surgery*," International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer-Assisted Surgery, 5(1), 13-19, 2009.
3. King CH, Culjat MO, Franco ML, Bisley JW, Dutson E, Grundfest WS, "Optimization of pneumatic balloon tactile display for robotic surgery based on human perception," IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 55(11), 2593-2600, 2008.
4. King CH, Franco ML, Culjat MO, Higa AT, Bisley JW, Dutson E, Grundfest WS, "Fabrication and characterization of a balloon actuator array for haptic feedback in robotic surgery," ASME Journal of Medical Devices, 2, 041006-1-041006-7, 2008.
5. King CH, Culjat MO, Franco ML, Bisley JW, Carman GP, Dutson EP, Grundfest WS, "*A multi-element tactile feedback system for robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery*," IEEE Transactions on Haptics, 2(1), 52-56, 2009 (Featured as Cover Article).
6. King CH, Culjat MO, Franco ML, Lewis CE, Dutson EP, Grundfest WS, Bisley JW, "Tactile feedback induces reduced grasping force in robotic surgery," IEEE Transactions on Haptics, 2(2), 103-110, 2009.

Publications in Conference and Symposium Proceedings:

1. Culjat MO, King CH, Franco ML, Lewis CE, Bisley JW, Dutson EP, Grundfest WS, "A tactile feedback system for robotic surgery," Proceedings 30th International Conference IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, 20-24 August 2008, Vancouver, Canada, 1930-1934, 2008.
2. Grundfest WS, Culjat MO, King CH, Franco ML, Wottawa C, Lewis CE, Bisley JW, Dutson EP, "*Development and testing of a tactile feedback system for robotic surgery*," Proceedings of Medicine Meets Virtual Reality 17: NextMed: Design for/the well being, 19-22 January 2009, Long Beach, CA, Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 142, 103-108, 2009.
3. King CH, Higa AT, Culjat MO, Han SH, Bisley JW, Carman GP, Dutson E, Grundfest WS, "A pneumatic haptic feedback actuator array for robotic surgery or simulation," Proceedings of Medicine Meets Virtual Reality 15: in vivo, in vitro, in silico: Designing the next in Medicine, Long Beach, CA, 6-9 February 2007, 217-222.
4. Wottawa C, Fan RE, Lewis CE, Jordan B, Culjat MO, Grundfest WS, Dutson EP "*Laparoscopic grasper with an integrated tactile feedback system*," Proceedings of 2009 ICME/IEEE International Conference on Complex Medical Engineering, 9-11 April 2009, Tempe, AZ, 1-5, 2009.
5. Wottawa CR, Fan RE, Bisley JW, Dutson EP, Culjat MO, Grundfest WS, "Applications of Tactile Feedback in Medicine." Proceedings of Medicine Meets Virtual Reality 18: NextMed: Design for/the well being, 8 - 12 February 2011, Newport Beach, CA, (in press)
6. Wu SW, Fan RE, Wottawa CR, Grundfest WS, Culjat MO, "Torso-based tactile feedback system for patients with balance disorders,"Proceedings 2010 Haptics Symposium, pp 359 - 362; March 2010, Waltham, MA.

Abstracts:

1. Dutson EP, Hwang R, Douraghy A, Zhang J, Vijayaraghavan A, Gracia C, Grundfest W, "Haptic feedback system for robotic surgery," Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) 2005 Annual Meeting, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 13-16 April 2005, Abstract #TP001.
2. Dutson E, Han SH, Culjat M, Higa A, King A, Grundfest W, "A unique balloon-based haptic feedback system for robotic surgical instruments," Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) 2006 Annual Meeting, Dallas TX, 26-29 April 2006, Abstract #ET006.
3. Dutson E, King C, Lewis C, Bisley J, Franco M, Culjat M, Grundfest W, "Addition of Haptic Feedback to the da Vinci Surgical Robotic System Leads to More Natural Grasper Control," American College of Surgeons 94th Annual Clinical Congress, 12-16 October 2008, San Francisco, CA.
4. Franco M, King CH, Culjat M, Bisley JW, Dutson E, Grundfest WS, "Fabrication and characterization of a balloon actuator array for haptic feedback in robotic surgery," BMES 2007 Annual Fall Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, 26-29 September 2007, Abstract # 181337.
5. Franco ML, King CH, Culjat MO, Bisley JW, Grundfest WS, Dutson EP, "A mountable pneumatic haptic feedback actuator array for the da Vinci surgical robotic system," Medicine Meets Virtual Reality 16: parallel, combinatorial, convergent: NextMed by design, 31 January - 1 February 2008, Long Beach, CA.
6. Higa A, King CH, Culjat M, Han SH, Dutson E, Grundfest W, "Haptic feedback: Pneumatic balloon tactile array for robotic surgery," 2006 UCLA Engineering Research Review, Los Angeles, CA, 2 May 2006.
7. King CH, Higa A, Culjat M, Han SH, Dutson E, Grundfest W, "A pneumatic haptic feedback system for robotic surgery," 2006 UCLA Engineering Research Review, Los Angeles, CA, 2 May 2006.
8. Wottawa C, King CH, Franco M, Lewis C, Dutson E, Culjat M, Grundfest W, "A haptic feedback system for robotic surgery," UCLA Engineering 2008 Technology Forum, 27 May 2008, Los Angeles, CA.

Theses and Dissertations:

1. Franco ML, "Mountable and functional pneumatic haptic feedback actuator arrays for surgical robotics and prostheses," Master's Thesis, University of California, Los Angeles, 2008.
2. Higa AT, "A balloon-based haptic feedback system for minimally invasive and robotic surgical instrumentation," Master's Thesis, University of California, Los Angeles, 2006.
3. King CH, "Design, fabrication, optimization and evaluation of a multinodal tactile feedback system for teleoperated robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery," Ph.D. Dissertation, University of California, Los Angeles, 2008.