Haptic robot to train medics to get to the bottom of prostate exam expertise

The device has been designed to help medical practitioners carry out accurate rectal examinations by recreating the feel of a rectum, as well as providing feedback on their examination technique. The device, developed by scientists at Imperial College London, contains small robotic arms that apply pressure to the silicone rectum, to recreate the shape and feel of the back passage.

Rectal examinations are necessary to diagnose conditions such as prostate cancer and involve a medic placing their index finger into the anus, and feeling the prostate gland.

The walnut-size gland sits below a man’s bladder, and can be felt just inside the anus, through the rectal wall. A rectal examination is often the first test a doctor or nurse uses to recognise a problem prostate, thereby determining whether they send a patient for further tests.

According to Imperial, cancerous prostates tend to feel hard and knobbly, but learning exactly what a potentially cancerous prostate feels like can be difficult, said Dr Fernando Bello, from the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London.