Robot replaces doctor to palpate women's breasts
Researchers have developed a robot to perform clinical breast examinations.Engineers and scientists have developed a prototype robot that performs breast examination - palpation. It recognizes formations by touch that may indicate cancer in its early stages.
The robot was named IRIS (an abbreviation of robotic mechanism of radial palpation for breast examination). The novelty was presented at the RO-MAN 2023 conference.
IRIS was used to simulate experiments with digital breasts and laboratory experiments with silicone breasts.
Using the simulations, they performed thousands of palpations - the process of using hands to check the body. And they also tested many hypothetical scenarios to calculate the difference between using two, three or four tactile sensors. In the lab, they used silicone breasts to see if the simulations were accurate and to test the capabilities of IRIS.
The researchers say that IRIS uses force to examine, which resembles the normal manipulations of medical professionals during an exam.
For now, the new robot is a prototype. The researchers' ultimate goal is for the manipulator to detect masses in the breast better than a human.
In the future, the scientists hope that their robot will be available in pharmacies and medical centers. And possibly replace a doctor to diagnose breast cancer.
A PDF version of the study, which has not yet been published, is available at this link.