NYUAD PROFESSOR DEVELOPS A TOOL TO BRING SENSE OF TOUCH TO SURGERIES

Minimally invasive surgeries have greatly evolved in the past couple of decades, with UAE researchers developing a new tool that brings the missing sense of touch to minimally invasive surgeries. Rather than creative large incisions inside a patient’s body, surgeons are now able to insert these tools into smaller incisions. These instruments involve a camera that displays the patient’s internal organs on a screen, while others include tweezers and scissors. Pioneering such state-of-the-art medical technology is Dr. Mohammad Qasaimeh, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering at New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) and his PhD student Wael Othman, in collaboration with surgeons from the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Today, at least 90 percent of surgeries are minimally invasive, allowing for smaller incisions which lead to a number of advantages, including less pain, fewer chances of infection and quicker recovery periods. Through the new NYUAD technology that brings the missing sense of touch, doctors can now assess the different organs indirectly, allowing them to feel the texture of the different organs and other critical touch elements that have long been missing from these types of operations. Previously, the only connection the surgeon had with his patient’s organ was a 2D view taken from a camera and projected on a screen. However, with the new technology, surgeons are now able to receive vital information about their applied forces during surgery as well as estimating tissue softness. Although seasoned surgeons have their own skills to identify the way different organs feel, junior surgeons, interns, and those specialising in surgery with less experience may not have the same intuitive senses and will greatly benefit from using such technology. Similar work also spans to robotic surgery, which includes the Da Vinci Robot, a 1 million US dollar surgical system that allows the surgeon to perform his duties while in an isolated station. Different elements, such as joysticks and microscope-like goggles allow the surgeon to control the robot. However, a lack of feedback from these robots has made sensory touch that much more important in surgeries. As a result, laboratories around the world are now developing tactile sensors to be integrated with these technologically advanced medical tools to include a sensory system within robots, further preventing organ damage during surgeries.

Reference Link: https://nyuad.nyu.edu/en/news/latest-news/science-and-technology/2022/june/nyuad-researchers-develop-new-tool-that-brings-missing-sense-of-touch-mis.html#:~:text=A%20 team%20of%20researchers%20from,feel%E2%80%9D%20tissues%20during%20an%20operation.