During my Ph.D. studies and based on my research experience in intelligent tactile systems, I proposed the idea of tactile neuroimaging for intraoperative brain imaging and real-time localization of brain tumors. I designed and fabricated an experimental setup and developed a validation study using tissue phantom with similar properties to brain tissue. The results of this research work were published in the journal of International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery 

The success of tumor neurosurgery is highly dependent on the ability to accurately localize the operative target, which may be shifted during the operation. Performing intraoperative brain imaging is crucial in minimally invasive neurosurgery to detect the effect of brain shift on the tumor’s location, and to maximize the efficiency of tumor resection. The major objective of this research is to introduce tactile neuroimaging as a novel minimally invasive technique for intraoperative brain imaging. To investigate the feasibility of the proposed method, an experimental and numerical study was first performed on silicone phantoms mimicking the brain tissue with a tumor. Then the study was extended to a clinical model with the meningioma tumor. The results showed that the stress distribution on the brain surface during the brain neuroimaging can be used as an indicative factor for real-time localization of brain tumors.

Experimental Setup for in vitro study

Developing phantoms with similar properties to brain tissue and tumors. Stress-strain analysis was conducted on phantom samples.

The tactile results show that the stress profile on the phantom surface shows the location of tumors inside the brain phantom 

Virtual tactile neuroimaging of the clinical brain model

Stress profile on brain surface during brain surgery for intraoperative brain imaging (real-time tumor localization)