A Pneumatic Haptic Feedback Actuator Array for Robotic Surgery or Simulation

論文發表人：金志鴻 (加州大學洛杉磯分校生物醫學工程研究所博士班)

http://www.nextmed.com/mmvr_proceedings.html

機械輔助微創手術較一般內視鏡手術擁有極佳自由度的優點，因此成為新興的關鍵技術。 然而，在手術執行者缺乏實際觸覺回饋的情況下，僅能仰賴視覺來進行手術。 在機械手臂遠端控制介面加裝氣動式觸覺回饋致動器陣列能滿足手術進行中觸覺回饋的需求。 此裝置具有質量輕、體積小、成本低、以及通用於各種機械手臂等特點。 利用由矽膠薄膜所製成的氣動裝置，配合機械手臂尖端力的感應訊號，手術執行者的手部可以感應此裝置的力量傳遞，達到觸覺回饋的目的。 本研究探討了氣動裝置的大小（直徑0.75 ~ 2.00 mm）對手指觸感的靈敏度 ，藉此達到氣動裝置大小的最佳化。 初步結果證明了大於 1.00 mm 的裝置能提供較佳的觸覺反應。 此研究發明更可以普遍地應用在虛擬實境及義肢觸覺回饋等尖端領域。

Robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery (MIS) 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 cues. Pneumatic tactile displays have many advantages, including low mass, low cost, compact size, and adaptability. A pneumatic haptic feedback actuator array has been developed that is suitable for mounting unto surgical robotic tools. The balloon actuators consist of spin-coated thin-film silicone membranes and molded substrates with cylindrical channels. Human perceptual tests were conducted on balloon diameters ranging from 0.75 to 2.0 mm to determine the optimal size that can be effectively detected. The control system was programmed to sequentially inflate a single balloon to one of the three levels, 100% (full hemispherical deformation), zero, 50% (half deformation), and 0% (no inflation). Blinded subjects (n=5) were asked to determine which of the two inflation levels was higher. Test results suggest that balloon diameters greater than 1.0 mm can deliver high detection accuracy. This indicates that pneumatic balloon-based actuation is a viable solution for generating haptic feedback. In addition to surgical applications, many other fields such as virtual reality-based simulators and prosthetics can benefit from this technology.