Fabrication and Testing of a Medical Surgical Instrument Capable of Detecting Simulated Embedded Lumps

A novel endoscopic grasper is being fabricated and tested. This grasper can be used in detecting lumps or tumors in biological tissues. The detailed fabrication process of the tactile sensor has been discussed. Custom-made sensors were integrated with the jaws of the endoscopic grasper and objects with known tactile features were tested by the designed grasper. Different experiments were performed with the system in order to determine both the position and the size of the lumps or inclusions located in the soft elastomeric media. The average discrepancy between the experimental and theoretical simulations was found to be less than 15%.