Towards autonomous robotic THz-based in vivo skin sensing: the PicoBot
Abstract Terahertz (THz) light has the unique properties of being very sensitive to water, non-ionizing, and having sub-millimeter depth resolution, making it suitable for medical imaging. Skin conditions including eczema, psoriasis and skin cancer affect a high percentage of the population and we h...
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| Format: | Article |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-88718-6 |
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| author | Anubhav Dogra Dominic Jones Arturo Ignacio Hernandez Serrano Shruti Chakraborty Jacob Joshua Young Benjamin George Page Joseph Hardwicke Pietro Valdastri Emma Pickwell-MacPherson |
| author_facet | Anubhav Dogra Dominic Jones Arturo Ignacio Hernandez Serrano Shruti Chakraborty Jacob Joshua Young Benjamin George Page Joseph Hardwicke Pietro Valdastri Emma Pickwell-MacPherson |
| author_sort | Anubhav Dogra |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Terahertz (THz) light has the unique properties of being very sensitive to water, non-ionizing, and having sub-millimeter depth resolution, making it suitable for medical imaging. Skin conditions including eczema, psoriasis and skin cancer affect a high percentage of the population and we have been developing a THz probe to help with their diagnosis, treatment and management. Our in vivo studies have been using a handheld THz probe, but this has been prone to positional errors through sensorimotor perturbations and tremors, giving spatially imprecise measurements and significant variations in contact pressure. As the operator tires through extended device use, these errors are further exacerbated. A robotic system is therefore needed to tune the critical parameters and achieve accurate and repeatable measurements of skin. This paper proposes an autonomous robotic THz acquisition system, the PicoBot, designed for non-invasive diagnosis of healthy and diseased skin conditions, based on hydration levels in the skin. The PicoBot can 3D scan and segment out the region of interest on the skin’s surface, precisely position (± 0.5/1 mm/degrees) the probe normal to the surface, and apply a desired amount of force (± 0.1N) to maintain firm contact for the required 60 s during THz data acquisition. The robotic automation improves the stability of the acquired THz signals, reducing the standard deviation of amplitude fluctuations by over a factor of four at 1 THz compared to hand-held mode. We show THz results for skin measurements of volunteers with healthy and dry skin conditions on various parts of the body such as the volar forearm, forehead, cheeks, and hands. The tests conducted validate the preclinical feasibility of the concept along with the robustness and advantages of using the PicoBot, compared to a manual measurement setup. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1fd067d0821d409b8167b29f87775bb6 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-1fd067d0821d409b8167b29f87775bb62025-02-09T12:30:29ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-02-0115111610.1038/s41598-025-88718-6Towards autonomous robotic THz-based in vivo skin sensing: the PicoBotAnubhav Dogra0Dominic Jones1Arturo Ignacio Hernandez Serrano2Shruti Chakraborty3Jacob Joshua Young4Benjamin George Page5Joseph Hardwicke6Pietro Valdastri7Emma Pickwell-MacPherson8Department of Physics, University of WarwickSTORM Lab, University of LeedsDepartment of Physics, University of WarwickDepartment of Physics, University of WarwickDepartment of Physics, University of WarwickDepartment of Physics, University of WarwickWarwick Medical School, University of WarwickSTORM Lab, University of LeedsDepartment of Physics, University of WarwickAbstract Terahertz (THz) light has the unique properties of being very sensitive to water, non-ionizing, and having sub-millimeter depth resolution, making it suitable for medical imaging. Skin conditions including eczema, psoriasis and skin cancer affect a high percentage of the population and we have been developing a THz probe to help with their diagnosis, treatment and management. Our in vivo studies have been using a handheld THz probe, but this has been prone to positional errors through sensorimotor perturbations and tremors, giving spatially imprecise measurements and significant variations in contact pressure. As the operator tires through extended device use, these errors are further exacerbated. A robotic system is therefore needed to tune the critical parameters and achieve accurate and repeatable measurements of skin. This paper proposes an autonomous robotic THz acquisition system, the PicoBot, designed for non-invasive diagnosis of healthy and diseased skin conditions, based on hydration levels in the skin. The PicoBot can 3D scan and segment out the region of interest on the skin’s surface, precisely position (± 0.5/1 mm/degrees) the probe normal to the surface, and apply a desired amount of force (± 0.1N) to maintain firm contact for the required 60 s during THz data acquisition. The robotic automation improves the stability of the acquired THz signals, reducing the standard deviation of amplitude fluctuations by over a factor of four at 1 THz compared to hand-held mode. We show THz results for skin measurements of volunteers with healthy and dry skin conditions on various parts of the body such as the volar forearm, forehead, cheeks, and hands. The tests conducted validate the preclinical feasibility of the concept along with the robustness and advantages of using the PicoBot, compared to a manual measurement setup.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-88718-6 |
| spellingShingle | Anubhav Dogra Dominic Jones Arturo Ignacio Hernandez Serrano Shruti Chakraborty Jacob Joshua Young Benjamin George Page Joseph Hardwicke Pietro Valdastri Emma Pickwell-MacPherson Towards autonomous robotic THz-based in vivo skin sensing: the PicoBot Scientific Reports |
| title | Towards autonomous robotic THz-based in vivo skin sensing: the PicoBot |
| title_full | Towards autonomous robotic THz-based in vivo skin sensing: the PicoBot |
| title_fullStr | Towards autonomous robotic THz-based in vivo skin sensing: the PicoBot |
| title_full_unstemmed | Towards autonomous robotic THz-based in vivo skin sensing: the PicoBot |
| title_short | Towards autonomous robotic THz-based in vivo skin sensing: the PicoBot |
| title_sort | towards autonomous robotic thz based in vivo skin sensing the picobot |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-88718-6 |
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