Applications of tactile feedback in medicine.

A tactile feedback system has been developed in order to provide augmentative sensory feedback for a number of medical applications. The key component to the system is a pneumatic balloon-based tactile display, which can be scaled and adapted for a variety of configurations. The system also features pneumatic and electronic control system components, a commercial force sensor modified to fit the desired application. To date, this technology has been successfully applied to medical robotics, minimally invasive surgery, and rehabilitation medicine.