Engineers and surgeons at the University of Naples Federico II in Italy have developed a force sensor for Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci trocars that provides real-time haptic feedback to the user, giving the surgeon a sense of touch.

Though Intuitive Surgical’s da Vinci robotic systems are now used worldwide to give surgeons incredible precision during minimally invasive surgeries, they lack any force-feedback, so the doctor can’t “feel” what’s being worked on, reported Medgadget. “This is a serious problem, as our sense of touch lets us know when something is in the way, when a tear may start forming and when it feels like tissue is about to give.”

The new force sensors mitigate this to hopefully prevent errors, including the surgeon accidentally applying too much force and causing injury.