A bionic multichannel whisker system for assisting endoluminal intervention
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Endoluminal interventions are crucial for both the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) diseases. However, conventional endoscopic systems are designed for visual inspection and diagnosis, limiting their capacity to assess critical tissue properties such as texture, stiffness, and structural integrity. These unobserved mechanical signatures may contribute to clinically relevant failure modes, including missed lesions, incomplete resection, and adverse events driven by excessive wall loading. Inspired by the tactile sensing mechanisms of rat whiskers, this study introduces a bionic multichannel whisker system, as an additional sensing modality for endoluminal interventions. The system integrates high-fidelity tactile sensing hardware, and advanced signal processing algorithms, enabling precise and reliable measurements of tissue properties, as well as providing real-time radial force feedback. Calibration via affine transformation ensures cross-channel consistency and compensates for manufacturing and installation variances. Validation across multiple experimental settings, including robotic and manual operation, demonstrates performance in texture discrimination, shape reconstruction, and radial force estimation. The presented whisker system is compact to support integration with endoscopic instruments, providing a practical basis for complementing endoluminal diagnostic workflows and for further development of tactile sensing in surgical robotics.
Date Issued
2026-08-05
Date Acceptance
2026-05-12
Citation
Cyborg and Bionic Systems, 2026, 7
ISSN
2097-1087
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Journal / Book Title
Cyborg and Bionic Systems
Volume
7
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2026 Zeyu Wang et al. Exclusive licensee Beijing Institute of Technology Press. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0).
License URL
Identifier
10.34133/cbsystems.0616
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
ARTN 0616
Date Publish Online
2026-05-15