Force Sensing Surgical Forceps Using Novel Piezoelectric TFT Array for Robotic Surgery

与传统手术相比，微创机器人手术具有许多优势，因为它可以降低风险，包括更小的切口，更快的恢复，对患者的创伤更小，以及从远处进行的可能性。为了利用这些优势，手术机器人必须在手术部位配备触觉反馈，从而为它们配备触觉。触觉反馈对于外科医生表征和操纵具有不同机械特性的各种类型的健康组织、操纵肿瘤和具有任意几何形状的缝合切口至关重要，从而改善患者结局。为了将触觉感知的能力带到微创机器人手术中，多个传感器应该放置在手术钳处，使得组织和手术钳之间的相互作用可以被记录并经由触觉和/或视觉界面传递给外科医生。然而，在手术钳处部署传感器是非常具有挑战性的，因为它们的空间极其有限。在这个项目中，我们将直接集成高分辨率的力传感器阵列与手术钳的尖端，并展示他们的集成与达芬奇芬奇手术机器人提供高时空触觉反馈给手术医生。该项目为本科生，高中生和代表性不足的少数民族学生提供材料科学，工程和医学跨学科研究的培训机会。为了将新型微力传感器阵列与手术钳集成，让外科医生获得触觉，我们将在柔性基板上开发压电氧化锌（ZnO）薄膜晶体管（TFT），它可以同时感知和放大法向力。通过在四个ZnO TFT组的顶部集成三维硅柱，我们将能够测量从硅柱机械转换到ZnO TFT的剪切力的幅度和方向，ZnO TFT产生放大的电信号作为响应。所提出的技术可以将传感器缩小到亚毫米级，具有薄而灵活的形状因子。通过在机器人手术钳的钳口上安装传感器，我们将演示在与组织相互作用期间施加到钳子上的法向力和剪切力的实时监测。所监测的力信息将通过反馈装置链接到触觉手套。还将在操作员显示器上提供视觉反馈，以指示镊子施加在组织上的力的幅度。将由多名外科医生评价申报技术的有效性，以统计方式得出优势。这项研究中提出的进步被设想为极大地有利于患者护理，并进一步了解钳子与组织之间相互作用的机械方面，这是朝着在不久的将来开发完全自主的机器人手术迈出的重要一步。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

Minimally invasive robotic surgery offers many advantages over conventional surgery because it can reduce risks including smaller incisions, faster recovery, less trauma to the patient, and the potential to be conducted from a distance. To exploit these advantages, surgical robots must be equipped with tactile feedback in the surgical site, thereby equipping them with the sense of touch. Tactile feedback is critically important for surgeons to characterize and manipulate various types of healthy tissue with different mechanical properties, manipulate tumors, and suture incisions with arbitrary geometries leading to improved patient outcomes. To bring the capabilities of tactile sensation to minimally invasive robotic surgery, multiple sensors should be placed at the surgical forceps, such that the interaction between the tissue and the forceps can be recorded and delivered to surgeons via haptic and/or visual interfaces. However, deploying sensors at the surgical forceps is very challenging due to their extremely limited space. In this project, we will directly integrate high-resolution force sensor arrays with tips of the surgical forceps and demonstrate their integration with the da Vinci surgical robot to provide high spatiotemporal tactile sensation for haptic feedback to the operating surgeon. The project provides training opportunities for undergraduate, high school, and under-represented minority students in interdisciplinary research in materials science, engineering, and medicine. It augments and improves the course curriculum and fosters a robust translational exchange with clinical partners.To integrate novel microforce sensor arrays with surgical forceps to give surgeons the sense of touch, we will develop piezoelectric zinc oxide (ZnO) thin film transistors (TFTs) on flexible substrates that can simultaneously sense and amplify normal forces. By integrating three-dimensional silicone pillars on top of groups of four ZnO TFTs, we will be able to measure the amplitude and direction of shear forces that are mechanically transduced from the silicone pillars to the ZnO TFTs that produce an amplified electrical signal in response. The proposed technology can scale sensors down to sub millimeter scales with thin and flexible form factor. By mounting sensors on the jaws of the robotic surgical forceps, we will demonstrate real-time monitoring of normal and shear force applied to the forceps during their interaction with tissue. The monitored force information will be linked with a feedback apparatus to a haptic glove. Visual feedback will also be provided on the operator display to indicate the amplitude of the force that the forceps exert on the tissue. The effectiveness of the proposed technology will be evaluated by multiple surgeons to derive the advantages in a statistical way. The advances proposed in this research are envisioned to greatly benefit patient care and to further the understanding of the mechanical aspects of the interaction between forceps with tissues, an important step towards developing fully autonomous robotic surgery in the near future.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.