title: Computational optical palpation: a finite-element approach to micro-scale tactile imaging using a compliant sensor.
abstract: High-resolution tactile imaging, superior to the sense of touch, has potential for future biomedical applications such as robotic surgery. In this paper, we propose a tactile imaging method, termed computational optical palpation, based on measuring the change in thickness of a thin, compliant layer with optical coherence tomography and calculating tactile stress using finite-element analysis. We demonstrate our method on test targets and on freshly excised human breast fibroadenoma, demonstrating a resolution of up to 15-25 µm and a field of view of up to 7 mm. Our method is open source and readily adaptable to other imaging modalities, such as ultrasonography and confocal microscopy.
authors.affiliation: Optical+Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia philip.wijesinghe@gmail.com.|BRITElab, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, 6 Verdun Street, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8378-7261
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wijesinghe
authors.affiliation: Optical+Biomedical Engineering Laboratory, School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia.|Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: David D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Sampson
authors.affiliation: School of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia.|BRITElab, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, 6 Verdun Street, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Brendan F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Kennedy
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D018226:Fibroadenoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D020342:Finite Element Analysis; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*
keywords: elastography; finite-element analysis; optical coherence tomography; tactile imaging