A passive robotic platform for three-dimensional scanning of ex vivo soft tissue

Abstract

This paper presents a novel portable passive robotic platform for three-dimensional scanning (3DS) of soft tissue, capable to evaluate mechanical properties and geometry in ex vivo condition. The platform comprises six degrees of freedom (DOF) passive robotic arm (Phantom Omni), a data acquisition system and a set of stiffness probes for force and stiffness measurement. The performance of the developed platform was validated by sliding indentation and uniaxial tissue indentation measurements on silicone phantoms, porcine organs and human prostates. The results show that the platform can perform effective measurements of soft tissue mechanical properties and help surgeons to identify embedded tumours. © Springer-Verlag London 2012.