Abstract
Robot-assisted surgery (RAS) has revolutionized medical procedures but often lacks the intuitive force feedback found in traditional open surgery. While several haptic devices have been proposed, they often introduce mechanical complexity and latency. In this paper, we investigate electrotactile tongue stimulation as a novel, mechanically simple, and low-latency method for providing force feedback to surgeons. The tongue’s high sensitivity and density of mechanoreceptors make it an ideal candidate for subtle haptic cues. We present a system that maps surgical tool-tissue interaction forces to electrotactile patterns on the tongue. Through a user study, we evaluate the effectiveness of this approach in enhancing a surgeon's ability to distinguish tissue stiffness and perform precise maneuvers. Our results suggest that tongue-based electrotactile feedback can significantly improve situational awareness and safety in RAS without interfering with the surgeon's hand movements.