A Noninvasive System for Biomechanical Properties Measurement of Soft Tissue
A device for measuring the biomechanical properties of soft tissue via palpation was developed. The device, which is worn by a medical professional, incorporates sensors that collect data on the position of the users’ hand in three-dimensional space as well as the force that the user applies to the tissue. The depth of palpation, the force used to achieve that depth, and the thickness of the tissue obtained from a computed tomography scan of the abdomen were used to calculate the stiffness properties of each individual layer of tissue. Some experimental data obtained by curve fitting force-displacement curves are presented. The data obtained from this experiment illustrates the potential of this device to be used for accurate measurement of soft tissue properties.