Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE), Wright State University, 2023, Electrical Engineering

Stochastic resonance (SR) is a phenomenon that can enhance the detection or transmission of weak signals by adding random noise to a non-linear system. SR introduced into the human motor control system as a subthreshold mechanical vibration has shown promise to improve sensitivity to haptic feedback. SR can be valuable in a laparoscopic surgery application, where haptic feedback is critical. This research sought to find if applying SR to the human motor control system improves performance in a laparoscopic probing task, if the performance differs based on the location of stochastic resonance application, and if there are sustained effects from SR after its removal. Subjects were asked to perform a palpation task using a laparoscopic probe to determine whether a series of simulated tissue samples contained a tumor. Subjects in the treatment groups were presented with a series of samples under the following conditions: Pre-SR, SR applied to the forearm or elbow, and Post-SR. Subjects in the control group did not have SR applied at any point. Performance was measured through the accuracy of tissue assessment, subjects' confidence in their assessment, and assessment time. Data from 27 subjects were analyzed to investigate the application of stochastic resonance and its sustained effects to improve haptic feedback sensitivity in a simulated laparoscopic task. The forearm group was shown to have significant improvement in the accuracy of tissue identification and sensitivity to haptic feedback with the application of SR. Additionally, the forearm group showed a greater improvement in accuracy and sensitivity than the elbow group. Finally, after SR was removed, the forearm group showed sustained significant improvement in accuracy and sensitivity. Therefore, the experiment results supported the hypotheses that stochastic resonance improves subjects' performance and haptic perception, that performance improvement differs based on application location, and that subjec (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Luther Palmer III, Ph.D. (Advisor); Caroline Cao Ph.D. (Committee Member); Katherine Lin M.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Biomedical Engineering; Biomedical Research; Engineering; Health; Health Care; Mechanical Engineering; Surgery

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2008, Arts and Sciences : Psychology

First-year medical students performed a simulated surgical task involving item transfers using a laparoscopic surgery training box and the da Vinci surgical robot. Performance efficiency in terms of the ratio of successfully transferred items to the sum of transferred items plus drops was greater when using the da Vinci than the laparoscopic system and task-induced stress measured by the Dundee Stress State Questionnaire was greater when working with the laparoscopic than with the da Vinci system. Perceived mental workload indexed by the Multiple Resources Questionnaire was high with both systems. With both systems, profiles of the information processing resources involved in task performance emphasized Manual, Short Term Memory, Spatial, and Visual Temporal processing dimensions. As measured by the Coping Inventory of Task Stress, Task Focused Coping was the dominant coping style used by the students with both surgical systems. The results have potential implications for selection and training with minimally invasive surgery procedures.

Committee: Joel Warm Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Michael Riley Ph.D. (Committee Member); Gerald Matthews Ph.D. (Committee Member); Krishnanath Gaitonde MD (Committee Member); James Donovan MD (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology