A Robotic Finger Could Conduct your Next Intimate Physical Exam

Researchers have created an ultrasensitive robotic ‘finger’ that mimics human touch, capable of safely conducting routine physical exams similar to those performed by doctors. They believe this ‘robodoctor‘ could soon appear in medical clinics.

Doctors use their fingers as diagnostic tools to gather various insights about your health. Medical professionals use their fingers to check your pulse, feel for abnormal lumps beneath the skin, and perform examinations in, let’s say, less visible areas for diagnostic reasons.

Researchers from the Department of Precision Machinery and Precision Instrumentation at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) have developed a human-inspired, flexible robotic ‘finger’ to perform routine medical examinations like those mentioned earlier.

“Physical examination is one of the most accessible, effective, and safe methods for detecting early signs of lumps and other indicators of breast cancer,” the researchers explained. “In traditional Chinese medicine, doctors can assess a patient’s pulse at the wrist to evaluate their heart health.

The Need for Robotic Palpation

“On one hand, the shortage of trained, experienced doctors can result in some diseases or risks going unnoticed, leading to worsening conditions. On the other hand, many individuals, particularly when examined by a doctor of the opposite gender, are reluctant to undergo physical exams. This has sparked significant interest in robotic palpation within the research community.”

Given the complexity of the human hand, even the most advanced robotic systems fall short of replicating its capabilities. Therefore, for the USTC team to develop a soft robotic finger with tactile sensing comparable to human touch for detecting abnormalities, along with proprioception—the awareness of body movement and position—is a significant achievement.

The Bioinspired Soft Finger (BSF) Design

The BSF, short for bioinspired soft finger, features a bending actuation body and integrated multimodal sensing. It has a finger-like, semicircular design with a PneuNet (pneumatic networks) structure, which is a type of soft actuator made up of channels and chambers within an elastomer. When pressurized, the air chambers expand, causing the BSF to bend inward. The entire finger measures 129 mm (5.08 inches) in length.

“The BSF has a simple design, requiring only the measurement of resistance and inductance at two points to achieve human-like touch sensitivity,” the researchers stated. “Like a human finger, it can gather detailed information about an object’s physical properties through active touch.”

The team tested the BSF’s ability to perform medical palpation similar to a doctor. It was able to detect and identify model lumps within simulated tissue over a large area. Additionally, the ‘robofinger’ successfully located an artery in a human participant’s wrist and measured their pulse. However, the study did not mention whether the finger was used for any invasive procedures.

“We demonstrated that the BSF can press and ‘sense’ the stiffness of objects, performing safe and precise robotic palpation like a doctor,” the researchers said. “Furthermore, when mounted on a six-degrees-of-freedom robotic arm, the BSF was able to locate an artery in a participant’s wrist and measure pulses for real-time analysis. These results underscore the potential of a ‘robodoctor’ for future physical examinations.”

At least, the BSF won’t suffer from the issue of cold hands.

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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