Smart Knife Tool For Cognitive Assistance In Robotic Surgeries

Abstract

A novel smart knife with a built-in electromagnetic (EM) sensor is proposed for robotic surgeries to provide cognitive assistance in terms of contact, depth of cut, and potentially tissue type detection. The sensing mechanism exploits the di-electric properties of tissues as indicators of their type, including cancerous ones. Such a sensorized tool could significantly improve operational precision. Combined with a robot-agnostic software/hardware framework, it can open new frontiers towards the use of augmented reality technologies in surgeries.