Development and Preliminary Validation of a Novel Handheld Sensing Device for Remote Palpation

Despite the growing demand for telemedicine to tackle healthcare challenges in adverse circumstances (such as in underprivileged nations, impoverished regions, during pandemics, or in case of disasters), a significant gap persists in established technologies for facilitating medical diagnosis via remote palpation in unstructured environments. Furthermore, the technological complexity of teleoperation systems can often be a barrier to their widespread distribution and adoption. In this study, we present a teleoperation system designed for remote palpation in home-based telemedicine, integrating a novel handheld sensing device intended for use on the patientside. This device aims to provide the doctor with accurate measurements of both applied force and indentation depth throughout the palpation procedure. Through an experimental campaign, we conducted a comparative analysis between our advanced teleoperation system and a simpler setup, aiming to evaluate the extent to which the complexity of teleoperation technology is worth for a reliable medical consultation. Results demonstrated that users were able to discern stiffness variations based on indentation dynamics, regardless of the technological complexity. However, when faced with two materials with similar stiffness, relying solely on visual cues proved insufficient in determining which area was stiffer, highlighting the necessity of our proposed device.