A tactile sensor based on thin-plate deformation

Abstract

SUMMARYTraditionally, tactile sensors have been designed using compliant, rubber-like materials; when such a sensitized gripper grasps or otherwise manipulates an object, the normal strain deformation in the compliant material is sampled. The resulting information can be used to deduce simple local geometry of the contact, but the transduction process does not typically permit use of the individual strains in determining large-scale properties of the object (e.g., the inertia). Measurements of inertial parameters of grasped objects require accurate, low-hysteresis transduction that few tactile sensors currently provide.An alternative is to work from the task specification, and determine the tactile information that is necessary to accomplish the task. Here, we consider how to sense the length and mass of a uniform object that is gripped in a gravitational field, and show the design and assessment of a new kind of tactile sensor that is based on the theory of the deformation of thin plates. Features of this design include its potentially rugged realization, and its high-accuracy measurement that is more typical of force sensors than of tactile sensors.

Roughness perception in haptic virtual reality for sighted and blind people

“…New technologies provide the ability to produce an ever-growing range of virtual textures and virtual haptic interfaces (Basdogan & Srinivasan, 2002;Choi & Tan, 2004;Drewing, Ernst, Lederman, & Klatzky, 2004;Ellis, Ganeshan, & Lederman, 1994;Hardwick, Furner, & Rush, 1998;Hollins & Risner, 2000;Hollins et al, 2004;Jansson, 1998Jansson, , 2002Jansson & Billberger, 1999;Kitada et al, 2005;Klatzky et al, 2003;Lederman et al, 1999;McGee, Gray, & Brewster, 2001;Moore, Broekhoven, Lederman, & Ulug, 1991;Oakley, Adams, Brewster, & Gray, 2002;Otaduy, Jain, Sud, & Lin, 2004;Reed, Lederman, & Klatzky, 1990;Sjöström, 2000;Smith, Chapman, Deslandes, Langlais, & Thibodeau, 2001;Srinivasan, Basdogan, & Ho, 1999;Verrillo, Bolanowski, & McGlone, 1999). Currently, the most common type of haptic device in perception experiments is the force feedback device, like the PHANToM, for example, manufactured by SensAble Technologies (Woburn, MA).…”

Sensing Positions Optimisation of a Distributive Tactile Sensor Using Principal Component Analysis

“…The covariance of the input matrix was then calculated using (2). From the covariance matrix, eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the data set were computed according to (3). The eigenvectors were rearranged in a descending order to obtain the principal components matrix U p as described earlier.…”

“…[3] and [4] used an early version of the approach, working from closed form interpretation algorithms to derive contact force information from the sensory data. [5] discussed the development of a flexible digit with tactile feedback in applications of minimally invasive surgery.…”

Distributive tactile sensing using fibre Bragg grating sensors

“…A variety of different types of sensors have been used, including resistive strain gauges 2 , piezoelectric film 3 , infrared displacement sensors 4 , capacitive sensors 5 , sensors detecting conductance 6 , magnetic, magnetoelectric, and ultrasonic sensors 7 . In this paper we describe the use of fibre Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensors.…”