As part of the
continuing partnership between MCG, BITC, and IMTC; the remote palpation
project seeks to allow doctors to examine patients at a remote location
using telecommunications, as well as documenting certain palpation
properties of the patient. IMTC has developed and patented a haptic
lens - a sensor that is capable of documenting a 3D surface under
a specific pressure. The image below shows surface mapping of a
key and finger using the device.
As the device is slowly pressed against an object (body part),
3D surfaces, deforming under the applied pressure, are recorded
in real-time along with the instantaneous pressure. Using this data,
a "hardness image" or compliance map can be assembled
from individual 3D surfaces recorded at the different pressures.
This helps in objectively documenting the minute differences between
adjacent tissues' compliances (such as documenting a cyst on or
near the surface). Preliminary PC-based software has been
generated by Andrew Quay and Peter Presti of IMTC to be able to
visualize the 3D surface in real-time, using a mouse to manipulate
the viewing angle as well as the lighting.
[ Patent Number 5459329]
[
Read an article in the Atlanta Business Chronicle about the haptic
lens.
]
[ SIGGRAPH ‘97 Presentation Slides ]
[ SIGGRAPH ‘97 or Technical Sketch ]
click on the thumbnail below for a larger view (JPG: 640 x 480)
|
image of a scanned thumb and key
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]
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