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Sensor Technology in Robotic Surgery
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Sensor Technology in Robotic Surgery

A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomedical Sensors".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 2600

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Tim Horeman

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, TU-Delft, Mekelweg 2, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands
Interests: robotics; tissue interaction; surgical instruments; sustainable instruments; operation room dynamics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Within the complex operation room (OR), smart sensor technology has the potential to reduce the mental load and improve patient outcomes. In future robotic systems in particular, smart sensors and actuators will play an important role in the development of automated surgery and tissue annotation, saving tissue instrument interaction, and monitoring staff dynamics for workflow optimization and body posture for improved ergonomics. Outside the OR, new sensor and actuation technology is needed for smart and affordable training hardware that allows for objective training assessment due to the use of performance metrics.

Dr. Tim Horeman
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sensors is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • robotics
  • sustainable
  • SMART
  • AI
  • frugal
  • automated
  • interaction

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 4014 KiB  
Article
Smart Force Sensing in Robot Surgery Utilising the Back Electromotive Force
by Storm Chabot, Koen Schouten, Bart Van Straten, Stefano Pomati, Andres Hunt, Jenny Dankelman and Tim Horeman
Sensors 2025, 25(3), 777; https://doi.org/10.3390/s25030777 - 28 Jan 2025
Viewed by 778
Abstract
Since the introduction of robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery, efforts have been made to incorporate force sensing technologies to monitor critical components and to provide force feedback. The advanced laparoscopic robotic system (AdLap RS) is a robotic platform that aims to make robot technology more [...] Read more.
Since the introduction of robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery, efforts have been made to incorporate force sensing technologies to monitor critical components and to provide force feedback. The advanced laparoscopic robotic system (AdLap RS) is a robotic platform that aims to make robot technology more sustainable through the use of the fully reusable shaft-actuated tip-articulating (SATA) instruments. The SATA instrument driver features electronics and sensors exposed to the sterile environment, which complicate the sterilisation process. The aim of this study was to develop and validate smart sensing in stepper motors using the back electromotive force in a newly developed Smart SATA Driver (SSD), eliminating the need for sensors in the sterile environment. Methods: The stepper drivers were equipped with TMC2209 ICs featuring StallGuard technology to measure back EMF. The tip was actuated up until a set StallGuard threshold value was reached, at which the resulting tip force was measured. This cycle was repeated ten times for a range of threshold levels. A regression analysis with a power series model was used to determine the quality of the fit. Results: The SSD is capable of exerting tip forces between 2.4 and 8.2 N. The back EMF force test demonstrated a strong correlation between obtained StallGuard values and measured tip forces. The regression analysis showed an R-squared of 0.95 and a root Mean squared error of 0.4 N. Discussion: The back EMF force test shows promise for force feedback, but its accuracy limits real-time use due to back EMF fluctuations. Future improvements in motor stability and refining the back EMF model are needed to enable real-time feedback. Conclusion: The strong correlation during the back EMF force test shows its potential as a low-budget method for detecting motor stalls and estimating tool–tissue forces without the need for sensors in laparoscopic instruments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor Technology in Robotic Surgery)
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23 pages, 6212 KiB  
Article
Correlation Study and Predictive Modelling of Ergonomic Parameters in Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Surgery
by Manuel J. Pérez-Salazar, Daniel Caballero, Juan A. Sánchez-Margallo and Francisco M. Sánchez-Margallo
Sensors 2024, 24(23), 7721; https://doi.org/10.3390/s24237721 - 3 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1440
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study aims to continue research on the objective analysis of ergonomic conditions in robotic-assisted surgery (RAS), seeking innovative solutions for the analysis and prevention of ergonomic problems in surgical practice. METHODS: Four different robotic-assisted tasks were performed by groups of surgeons [...] Read more.
BACKGROUND: This study aims to continue research on the objective analysis of ergonomic conditions in robotic-assisted surgery (RAS), seeking innovative solutions for the analysis and prevention of ergonomic problems in surgical practice. METHODS: Four different robotic-assisted tasks were performed by groups of surgeons with different surgical experiences. Different wearable technologies were used to record surgeons’ posture and muscle activity during surgical practice, for which the correlation between them was analyzed. A predictive model was generated for each task based on the surgeons’ level of experience and type of surgery. Two preprocessing techniques (scaling and normalization) and two artificial intelligence techniques were tested. RESULTS: Overall, a positive correlation between prolonged maintenance of an ergonomically inadequate posture during RAS and increased accumulated muscle activation was found. Novice surgeons showed improved posture when performing RAS compared to expert surgeons. The predictive model obtained high accuracy for cutting, peg transfer, and labyrinth tasks. CONCLUSIONS: This study expands on the existing ergonomic analysis of the lead surgeon during RAS and develops predictive models for future prevention of ergonomic risk situations. Both posture and muscle loading are highly related to the surgeon’s previous experience. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor Technology in Robotic Surgery)
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