The Invisible Touch: How Medical Haptics Is Changing the Way Doctors Operate

1.Introduction
2.Key Applications of Medical Haptics
3.The Core Technology
4.Market and Search Trends
5.Conclusion

Introduction
Surgeons' hands have been the most valuable instrument ever in medical history. All that information, feeling the resistance of the tissue, knowing when to push and not push, knowing when you have the feeling of a firm object, a tumor, it was all through direct physical contact.
That has all changed with remote surgery and minimally invasive procedures. That's not the case when a surgeon uses the robot or an instrument that is guided by a camera. The hands move, however, no sensation is felt. The screen just displays what is taking place inside of the patient; it cannot let the surgeon know if the tissue is soft enough, how much pressure is being applied or even if the tool is slipping.
This perception deficit is not only unacceptably but unsafe. Surgeons entirely have to rely on the visual cues without tactile information. This imposes cognitive burden, leaving opportunities for some errors to more easily be made.
Medical haptics is there to provide an answer to this. A medical haptic system applies force and pressure at a point of contact, and transfers real-time information to the operator for them to experience physically. Connects the surgeon with the body of the patient. If executed properly, it is more like open surgery than any other method available today for remote or robotic surgery.
The latter is the reason why technology which after tackling vision and audio feedback, is now on the spotlight of the surgeons' biomechanics at the domain of tactile feedback becomes a rich research field in the field of surgical engineering. This is where it becomes significant that the basic parts are also comprised of these systems and especially the precision piezoelectric actuators.

Key Applications of Medical Haptics
Medical haptics is not a single product category, but rather a product line. It has a diverse number of clinical and training applications with varying requirements.
1. Remote Surgery and Robotic Assistance
Robotic surgical systems, such as those used in minimally intrusive cardiac or abdominal surgeries, provide surgical aids to enable surgeons to be more adept and moveable when performing their procedures than one's hands. However, today's systems are still lackluster in providing meaningful haptic feedback. Surgeon observes the tissue on a video screen and doesn't have any palpitations for it.
Include medical haptics and the landscape changes. The forces are sensed by force sensors at the tip of the instrument and resistance and pressure are measured when the instrument contacts tissue. That information is then utilized to help recreate tactile feedback from the surgeon's hand and/or fingertip at the other end, where a haptic interface awaits. Surface area of skin is plucked away while the surgeon senses the difference between the blood vessel and surrounding fat. They feel as a suture tightens. The resistance they feel are preemptive and do not cause a problem.
This degree of healthcare tactile feedback goes beyond just enriching the surgical experience. Reduces possibility of accidental damage to tissue caused by application of excess force.
2. Medical Simulation and Training
The process of training surgeons involves years, and of course has serious patient risk. In view of that, simulation training has increased its value and importance, especially regarding a country's specific military situation. But most simulation systems still lack on one dimension, however haptics feedback.
Using a "virtual" surgical environment, a trainer can learn to navigate this area visual sign. The tactile input is what's needed to understand what to do if you are performing a dissection, or to be able to tell the difference in how a healthy organ feels when compared to an unhealthy organ.
3. Smart Prosthetics and Rehabilitation
The individuals that had an arm or leg amputated are able to use a prosthetic hand now with incredible dexterity. Motors and cables replicate grip and the movement more and more accurately. However, the vast majority of prosthetics users don't have any sense of touch of what they're holding. Since they have no vision, they have to depend on it, hence they are tired from that and it restricts their natural use.
This is changed with healthcare tactile feedback. The sensors inside the robotic fingers are able to gauge pressure and contact. This information is turned around into haptic signals, which can be sent to us.

The Core Technology
The performance quality of a haptic feedback system is dependent almost completely on performance quality of its actuators. These elements form the actual 'feel' of the actuator felt by the operator. These are the components that produce the physical response that the operator feels. They must be accurate and dependable and be able to be quick and reliable enough for a medical setting.
Bestarsensor develops precision optimized piezoelectric actuator parts for special applications such as medical haptics. Piezoelectric technology is the best technology to use in this area.
Millsecond Response, Micro-meter accuracy
The piezoelectric actuators act through transforming electrical signals into mechanical movement. When was applied to the ceramic material, it will expand or contract. Take it away, it will return to its "normal" shape. This takes place in microoseconds.
The high forces and accurate displacement control in a small package is provided by a combination of multlayer piezo ceramics (stacks of thin ceramic layers bonded together) . The end-effect is an actuator capable of displacing things with sub-micrometric errors and vibrating the device in terms of Gripper in sub milliseconds.
This is important for medical haptics because they are dynamic. The resistance always changes as the cross-cutting surgical tool advances on the surface of that organ. The haptic system must monitor them and adjust the feedback given back to the operator sufficiently quickly that the system can be felt to be operating without any delay. The delay that occurs destroys the feeling of touch, and obligates the surgeon to use only visual cues.
Bestarsensor's accuracy piezoelectric actuator elements comply with these dynamics. Responses are quick enough to be believable.
Medical equipment is used for extended periods of time, and for years and years of service. It's necessary to have consistency, just as it is with best performance.
Piezoelectric ceramics are materials that are stable in nature. They are not worn by mechanical movement as is the case with mechanical parts. The multi layer construction and quality control work of Bestarsensor also guarantee that the actuators have the same force and displacement throughout their lifetime.

Market and Search Trends
At present, the medical haptics field is changing from a stage of research to the practical application. Interest in search and procurement has evolves in accordance.
Most of the medical haptic interest that was prominent several years ago was directed by researchers and academia towards what could be achieved. The questions were conceptual: How can we create a sense of tissue feel? Does haptic feedback help enhance surgical outcomes?
Those questions have been answered. Yes, and there is enough evidence that medical device companies have come up with products instead of just studying their products. 
Incorporating embodied AI to medical haptic platforms is likely to bring another layer of capability by 2026. AI systems can learn patterns of tissue response, and foresee the force needed, thus enabling the haptic feedback to be more predictive and less purely reactive. This will require more accurate and faster actuator precision. This intelligence will be put to work via a precision piezoelectric actuator.

Conclusion
Medical haptics does not contribute something to the comfort of the current procedures. This is something that will allow a range of surgery and rehabilitation that would not otherwise be feasible in the same level of safety and accuracy.
The technology relies on actuators which are fast, accurate, repeatable and meet the strict requirements of medical device manufacturing. It's something most actuator technologies cannot satisfy. Precision piezoelectric actuators can, and components like Bestarsensor can be, specially designed to do this.
At the actuator level, the selection of the component has a major impact on what lies downstream, medical engineers tasked with operating robotic surgery platforms, surgical trainings, prosthetic interfaces where tactile hazard feedback within the surgical system is critical. The haptic feedback effect which the surgeon, trainee or prosthetic user feels is as good as the actuator that produces it.
Bestarsensor expertises in multilayer piezo ceramics, design of fast-response actuators and application-specific customization. The simple objective is to provide medical device designers with the components needed to create efficient haptic systems beyond reproach in a clinical setting.
Now sound, sight and touch. The complete sensory feedback loop is being restored between clinician and patient through the use of medical technology. Bestarsensor is developing sensor elements which enable the realization of such a touch.