Monopolar, bipolar, tripolar, and tetrapolar configurations in robot assisted electrical impedance sensing

Abstract

Abstract Objective. Tissue recognition is a critical process during a Robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery (RMIS) and it relies on the involvement of advanced sensing technology. Approach. In this paper, the concept of Robot Assisted Electrical Impedance Sensing (RAEIS) is utilized and further developed aiming to sense the electrical bioimpedance of target tissue directly based on the existing robotic instruments and control strategy. Specifically, we present a new sensing configuration called pseudo-tetrapolar method. With the help of robotic control, we can achieve a similar configuration as traditional tetrapolar, and with better accuracy. Main results. Five configurations including monopolar, bipolar, tripolar, tetrapolar and pseudo-tetrapolar are analyzed and compared through simulation experiments. Advantages and disadvantages of each configuration are thus discussed. Significance. This study investigates the measurement of tissue electrical property directly based on the existing robotic surgical instruments. Specifically, different sensing configurations can be realized through different connection and control strategies, making them suitable for different application scenarios.