Optimization of a Pneumatic Balloon Tactile Display for Robot-Assisted Surgery Based on Human Perception

Abstract—Robot-assisted surgery is characterized by a total loss of haptic feedback, requiring surgeons to rely solely on visual cues. A compact, flexible, and lightweight pneumatic balloon tactile dis-play has been developed suitable for mounting on robotic sur-gical master controls. The tactile display consists of a molded polydimethylsiloxane substrate with cylindrical channels and a spin-coated silicone film that forms the array of balloons. Human perceptual studies were conducted to determine the optimal di-ameter, spatial resolution, and temporal resolution of the balloon actuator design. A balloon diameter of 3.0 mm provided the high-est average accuracy (≥95%) while offering five detectable infla-tion levels. Spatial accuracy in a two-actuator discrimination task reached 100 % with 1.5 mm edge-to-edge spacing, and the accuracy of determining the order of two successive stimuli was greater than 90 % when the time separation was 100 ms. Design optimization based on the results from this study enables the described tactile display to provide the effective tactile feedback that is otherwise unavailable during robotic surgery. Index Terms—Haptic feedback, haptic perception, robot tactile systems. I