Biomimetic tactile sensor based on Fiber Bragg Gratings for tumor detection — Prototype and results

Abstract

Robot assisted minimally invasive surgery features many advantages, such as augmented reality or more comfort for the surgeon during the operation. On the downside, the surgeon loses all aspects of haptic perception from the operation situ. Tactile sensors are necessary to restore some of the haptic perception. In this paper, a tactile sensor is presented that mimics the human finger and is based on Fiber Bragg Gratings. The idea is a comparison of strain measurements of two materials of different stiffnesses. The principle is described in detail, as well as the fabrication of our first prototype. First experiments have been carried out, showing the potential of the tactile sensor to detect tumors within healthy tissue by looking at the progression of the strain-strain-curve.