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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/R35520/01
Title: Research of an innovative flexible digit for clinical applications incorporating tactile feedback
Principal Investigator: Brett, Professor P
Other Investigators:
Griffiths, Mr M Holding, Dr DJ Griffiths, Mr M
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department: Sch of Engineering and Applied Science
Organisation: Aston University
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 17 September 2001 Ends: 16 September 2004 Value (£): 176,486
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Instrumentation Eng. & Dev.
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Healthcare
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
Clinicians are increasingly expected to perform procedures with greater precision whilst working through smaller access. Minimal access procedures ha, shown advantages over open therapy, however the standard instruments used are not easy to use and do not transmit tactile information. The clinician relies totally on vision feedback. This research will investigate the application of novel sensing techniques to enable the design and construction of a flexi digit in the form of a steerable endoscope tip. Such a scheme can measure a distribution of normal contact pressure with soft tissues and can be used t measure slip. The sensing method will enable the closed loop control of shape of the flexible actuation system. The use of a non metallic device will be explored with a view to deploy the device in MR scanning environments. This will aid diagnosis and therapies such as biopsy samples taken through diffi access and the deployment of other tools in contact with soft tissues such as miniature ultrasound devices. The research will investigate the use of syste on-a-chip technologies on which to implement the high-level and low level controller functions of the system. To demonstrate the range of application an versatility of the approach, the demonstration system will be deployed in phantom constructions to represent two procedures with different demands.
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Further Information:  
Organisation Website: http://www.aston.ac.uk