Latest PALPABLE research presented at TAROS 2024

PALPABLE was proudly featured at this year’s Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems conference (TAROS), hosted by Brunel University London from 21-23 August 2024. TAROS is the longest running UK-hosted international conference on robotics and autonomous systems (RAS).

An extended abstract entitled “Variable Stiffness & Dynamic Force Sensor for Tissue Palpation”, was presented at the conference by lead author Abu Bakar Dawood from partner Queen Mary University of London. Researchers from PALPABLE partners FRHHI, Zhenyu Zhang and Martin Angelmahr, UNITO, Alberto Arezzo, and QMUL, Kaspar Althoefer co-authored the paper.

The research showcases the state of the art of PALPABLE’sinnovative sensor for tissue palpation for use during Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS). Features include adjustable stiffness using pneumatic pressure allowing for a dynamic force range, optical sensing to estimate deformation and applied force and the soft silicon dome, suitable for interactions with soft tissue.

Findings show that even at its lowest sensitivity setting, the sensor can detect forces nearly as subtle as human touch. This represents a significant step forward in bringing the sense of touch back to minimally invasive procedures, potentially improving surgical outcomes and patient care.

The research also highlights the next stages of development: to employ data-driven methods to estimate interaction forces and tissue stiffness and to miniaturize the sensor to a maximum diameter of 10mm, for use through standard MIS trocar ports. Read the paper on the TAROS proceedings here, p282.

PALPABLE expert Prof. Althoefer also featured as a keynote lecturer at the event, speaking on Physical Robot-Environment Interaction: The Continued Quest for Tactile-Grounded Manipulation, and led a panel on advances and challenges in robotics and AI. Watch the keynote here and the panel discussion here.