The field of medical robotics has seen an increased application of needle insertion robots for tumour diagnosis and treatment in recent years. However, these systems predominantly rely on image guidance for tumour localization, which often results in extended procedure durations and can potentially cause side effects, such as excessive exposure to radiation from CT scans.
This research proposes an innovative approach that estimates tumour stiffness based on the forces experienced during needle insertion, thereby reducing the dependence on imaging.
A one-degree-of-freedom (1-DOF) needle insertion robot is designed for this purpose. To facilitate realistic testing, a liver phantom with varying tumour stiffnesses is developed, designed to closely emulate the properties of a human liver and its tumours. The robot conducts a series of experiments, inserting a needle into the phantom which contains single and double tumours. A force sensor attached to the needle records the forces experienced during each insertion. This approach could potentially lead to more efficient methods for tumour detection and treatment, reducing the reliance on imaging and thereby minimising the associated drawbacks.
