Development of portable breast self-examination device using enhanced tactile feedback

A simple tactile imaging system for detecting possible breast lumps is proposed. The breast cancer detection system (BCDS) consists of a palm-sized, portable, wireless scanning probe with a nine-force sensor array, a web camera, and a PC program to display the location and stiffness of hard breast lesions based on tactile pressure profiles. The results of performance evaluation tests using various breast phantoms demonstrated that palpable abnormalities larger than 5 mm located at depths less than 25 mm can be detected accurately. It is expected that this low-priced BCDS will extensively benefit all adults and ubiquitous healthcare services who apply regular breast self-examination by providing remote magnified palpation with enhanced tactile sensitivity.