A pneumatic haptic module for simulation of catheters used in gastrointestinal endoscopy

This paper proposes a haptic module for simulation of catheters used in GI (gastrointestinal) endoscopy. The designed haptic interface provides translational force feedback in one degree-of-freedom using the pneumatic module made of silicon rubber. The pneumatic module has a cylindrical shape with a hollow space inside. The space inside of the module can be filled with air activated by a syringe pump. The module grasps the catheter traveling through the module. The syringe pump is controlled to insufflate or remove air into the space in real-time. Experimental results show that the feedback force and the amount of injected air to the module have a linear relationship. The proposed interface is able to generate necessary force feedback during catheter simulation.