A ROBOTIC DEVICE TO ASSIST WITH IN-VIVO MEASUREMENT OF HUMAN PELVIC ORGAN TISSUE PROPERTIES

Abstract

Measurement of the biomechanical properties of human pelvic organ tissue without undergoing minimally invasive surgery is desired for diagnostics purposes and take precautionary actions if needed. The biomechanical properties of the bladder change with age and due to diseases. Thus, identification of the viscoelastic properties of the tissue could help in detecting early stages of the disease in the bladder. A literature survey revealed that no device exists that could be used to characterize the biomechanical properties of the human bladder in-vivo. This research contributes towards the development of a diagnostic system that could be used in a medical setting to interact with the bladder during the examination. The research focuses on the conceptual design and development of a rigid link robotic device, which is inserted through the urethra and remotely actuated/guided to probe the inner wall of the human bladder. Also, this research discusses the design of a sensor attached to the tip of the robotic device to engage with the tissue in order to obtain reaction force measurement when the tissue is disturbed. These measurements will then be used to characterize the viscoelastic properties of the bladder tissue. Scaled models of the robotic device and sensor have been prototyped to verify the function of the proposed design