Large Scale Capacitive Skin for Robots

Communications engineering / telecommunication

Fingertip Proximity Sensor with Realtime Visual-based Calibration

Proximity and distance estimation sensors are broadly used in robotic hands to enhance the quality of grasping during grasp planning, grasp correction and in-hand manipulation. This paper presents a fiber optical proximity sensor that is integrated with a tactile sensing fingertip of a robotic hand of a mobile robot. The distance estimation of proximity sensors are typically influenced by the reflective properties of an object, such as color or surface roughness. With the approach proposed in this paper, the accuracy of the proximity sensor is enhanced using the information collected by the vision system of the robot. A camera is employed to obtain RGB values of the object to be grasped. Further on, the data obtained from the camera is used to obtain the correct calibration for the proximity sensor. Based on the experimental evidence, it is shown that our approach can be effectively used to reduce the distance estimation error

Fingertip Fiber Optical Tactile Array with Two-Level Spring Structure

Tactile perception is a feature benefiting reliable grasping and manipulation. This paper presents the design of an integrated fingertip force sensor employing an optical fiber based approach where applied forces modulate light intensity. The proposed sensor system is developed to support grasping of a broad range of objects, including those that are hard as well those that are soft. The sensor system is comprised of four sensing elements forming a tactile array integrated with the tip of a finger. We investigate the design configuration of a separate force sensing element with the aim to improve its measurement range. The force measurement of a single tactile element is based on a two-level displacement that is achieved thanks to a hybrid sensing structure made up of a stiff linear and flexible ortho-planar spring. An important outcome of this paper is a miniature tactile fingertip sensor that is capable of perceiving light contact, typically occurring during the initial stages of a grasp, as well as measuring higher forces, commonly present during tight grasps