From Haptics
Research
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Most of our research is related to haptics, the sense of touch. In particular, we are interested in haptic systems involving teleoperation, virtual environments, and robotic manipulation. We use many tools in our work, including design engineering, dynamic systems, solid mechanics, mathematical modeling, control theory, human psychophysics and performance analysis, and experimental observation. This page describes our current research activities; you can click on any image or project title to see more details.
Current Research
Needle Steering
We are developing techniques to insert thin, flexible needles into the human body and steer them from outside. Such steerable needles could improve a wide range of medical procedures, from chemotherapy and radiotherapy to biopsy collection and tumor ablation, by enhancing physicians' abilities to accurately maneuver inside the human body with minimal trauma to the patient.
Prosthetics
Unimpaired humans can adeptly control the motion of their upper limbs, easily accomplishing the activities of daily living and over time mastering complex manual skills. Naturally, upper-limb amputees and individuals with congenital upper-limb deficiencies want to be able to interact with their surroundings with this same level of ease. We are developing haptic feedback methods, dynamic models, and training approaches to enable natural human control of next-generation prostheses.
Rehabilitation Robotics
For many neurological disorders, rehabilitation therapy is a main treatment. In order to optimize rehabilitation techniques, a quantitative approach that pinpoints specific deficiencies and targets them with long-term intervention is needed. Thus, we are applying biomechanical models, robotic devices and novel control strategies for optimizing both compensation and learning approaches for improved movement control.
Teleoperation and Haptics for Surgery
Robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery (RMIS) holds great promise for improving the accuracy and dexterity of a surgeon while minimizing trauma to the patient. However, widespread clinical success with RMIS has been marginal and it is hypothesized by engineers and surgeons alike that the lack of haptic feedback presented to the surgeon is a limiting factor. The objective of our research is to acquire, display, and determine the utility of haptic information during RMIS.
Tissue Modeling and Simulation
The modeling of forces and deformations when surgical instruments contact soft tissue is important for accurate surgical simulation, preoperative planning, and intelligent robotic assistance. Projects in this area include modeling the forces during cutting with scissors, understanding the relative importance of tissue property modeling versus accurate geometry and boundary conditions, and creating an eye surgery simulator.
Educational Haptics
A major benefit of educational robotics is its hands-on nature. This makes the learning process more compelling for most students, and underscores the connection between science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) theory and physical reality. Educational haptics takes this premise a step further: haptic devices that provide force and tactile feedback to the student are programmed to generate physical interactions that improve student intuition for STEM subjects. Haptic devices also emphasize the need for interdisciplinary robotics education, and can inspire even very young students to enter STEM fields. We have used a variety of methods to incorporate haptic devices and simulations into undergraduate, graduate, and grade school curricula.
Previous Research
- Tactile Slip Display
- Modeling Human Exploration
- Haptic Rendering of Deformable Bodies
- Tool-tissue Interaction Modeling for Percutaneous Therapies
- Augmented Reality
- Vibration Feedback for Vitreoretinal Surgical Simulation
- Pressure Sensitive Material (PSM) Tactile Array
- Haptic texture design
- Haptics Course Projects (2001)
- Haptics Course Projects (2000)
