Steadier Hands for Robot-Assisted Surgery

Robot-assisted surgical systems (or telerobotic surgical systems) are physical extensions of a surgeon. By controlling robotic fingers with movements of their own fingers, surgeons can perform intricate procedures remotely. Although surgeons control their telerobotic hands during operative procedures, accurately estimating how far these hands are from underlying tissue remains a challenge. Researchers from Texas A&M  have found that delivering electrical pulses to fingertips is an effective, yet simple to provide proximity information. Stimulation electrodes on a glove deliver distance information that allow a user to touch a test object with just the right amount of force.