Robotic 'finger' taking patients' pulses
Marie Donlon | October 14, 2024A soft robotic finger, capable of taking a patient’s pulse or checking them for abnormal lumps, has been developed by a team of researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China.
Thanks to the robot’s sophisticated sense of touch, the researchers suggest that the technology could one day make it easier for doctors to detect diseases like breast cancer early on, when they are more treatable. Likewise, the robot might also help patients feel at ease during physical exams that can seem uncomfortable and invasive when performed by a human doctor.
Source: Hongbo Wang
"By further development to improve its efficiency, we also believe that a dexterous hand made of such fingers can act as a 'Robodoctor' in a future hospital, like a physician. Combined with machine learning, automatic robotic examination and diagnosis can be achieved, particularly beneficial for these undeveloped areas where there is a serious shortage in health workers," the researchers added.
The robotic finger contains conductive fiber coils featuring two parts: a coil wound on each air chamber of the device's bending actuators and a twisted liquid metal fiber located at the fingertip.
The robotic finger’s developers explained that by measuring properties that impact how the device's electrical current flows, they discovered that they could monitor, in real time, how far the finger will bend as it touches an object and the force at the fingertip. Because of this, the device can reportedly perceive an object's properties as effectively as human touch, the team reported.
To make this determination, the team brushed a feather against the robotic fingertip during a series of tests wherein a magnified view showed the resistance change, thereby indicating its high sensitivity in force sensing.
The team then tapped and pushed the robotic fingertip with a glass rod and repeatedly bent the finger. The device's sensors accurately perceived the type and quantity of force that was applied.
Additional tests were performed whereby the robotic finger was mounted on a robotic arm and used to identify three lumps embedded in a large silicone sheet, pressing on them much like a doctor might. Further, the robotic finger, still mounted on the robotic arm, also correctly located an artery on a patient's wrist and took their pulse.
An article detailing the robotic fingertip, “Toward Human-Like Touch Sense via a Bioinspired Soft Finger with Self-Decoupled Bending and Force Sensing,” appears in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science.
For more on the robotic finger, watch the accompanying video, which appears courtesy of the University of Science and Technology of China.