Force Sensing in Robot-assisted Keyhole Endoscopy: A Systematic Survey
A. H. Hadi Hosseinabadi, S. E. Salcudean
TL;DR
This paper tackles the lack of tactile feedback in robot-assisted keyhole endoscopy by systematically surveying force sensing and estimation across MIS/RMS platforms from 2011 to May 2020. It adopts PRISMA guidelines to synthesize 110 eligible studies, categorizing approaches into sensorless, strain gauge, optical, capacitive, MEMS, and other transduction methods, and contrasting sensor placement and performance. A central finding is the shift toward compact, sterilizable FBG and MEMS technologies, paired with data-driven calibration, to achieve reliable force estimation while addressing sterilization, biocompatibility, and cost constraints. The work provides design guidance and highlights gaps, such as the need for online adaptation and cross-instrument generalization, to advance clinically deployable force sensing in RMIS.
Abstract
Instrument-tissue interaction forces in Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) provide valuable information that can be used to provide haptic perception, monitor tissue trauma, develop training guidelines, and evaluate the skill level of novice and expert surgeons.Force and tactile sensing is lost in many Robot-Assisted Surgery (RAS) systems. Therefore, many researchers have focused on recovering this information through sensing systems and estimation algorithms. This article provides a comprehensive systematic review of the current force sensing research aimed at RAS and, more generally, keyhole endoscopy, in which instruments enter the body through small incisions. Articles published between January 2011 and May 2020 are considered, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The literature search resulted in 110 papers on different force estimation algorithms and sensing technologies, sensor design specifications, and fabrication techniques.