2018/02/19 by Pedro Piacenza, Piacenza, Pedro, Weipeng Dang +11
Engineering · Neuroscience · #Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Robot Manipulation and Learning #Robotics (cs.RO) #Tactile and Sensory Interactions
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1802.06837
openalex publication_date 2018/02/19 · openalex created_date 2022/10/03 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Traditional methods to achieve high localization accuracy with tactile\nsensors usually use a matrix of miniaturized individual sensors distributed on\nthe area of interest. This approach usually comes at a price of increased\ncomplexity in fabrication and circuitry, and can be hard to adapt for non\nplanar geometries. We propose to use low cost optic components mounted on the\nedges of the sensing area to measure how light traveling through an elastomer\nis affected by touch. Multiple light emitters and receivers provide us with a\nrich signal set that contains the necessary information to pinpoint both the\nlocation and depth of an indentation with high accuracy. We demonstrate\nsub-millimeter accuracy on location and depth on a 20mm by 20mm active sensing\narea. Our sensor provides high depth sensitivity as a result of two different\nmodalities in how light is guided through our elastomer. This method results in\na low cost, easy to manufacture sensor. We believe this approach can be adapted\nto cover non-planar surfaces, simplifying future integration in robot skin\napplications.\n