The advent of sensor arrays providing tactile feedback with high spatial and temporal resolution asks for new control strategies to exploit this important and valuable sensory channel for grasping and manipulation tasks. In this paper, we introduce a control framework to realize a whole set of tactile servoing tasks, i.e. control tasks that intend to realize a specific tactile interaction patte...

Object recognition through the use of input from multiple sensors is an important aspect of an autonomous manipulation system. Useful sensors include video cameras, tactile arrays, force gauges and proximity sensors. In this report, we focus on tactile sensors. In tactile object recognition, it is necessary to determine the location and orientation of object edges and surfaces. We propose contr...

The sense of touch allows humans and higher animals to perform coordinated and efficient interactions within their environment. Recently, tactile sensor arrays providing high force, spatial, and temporal resolution became available for robotics, which allows us to consider new control strategies to exploit this important and valuable sensory channel for grasping and manipulation tasks. Successf...

Tactile sensor systems are an essential prerequisite for the implementation of complex manipulation and exploration tasks using robots. Tactile exploration has not yet found its way into many laboratories, because most tactile sensors are technically demanding and expensive. The desire to perform real-time control and pattern recognition with tactile sensors led us to the design of a cost-effec...

Sensory feedback will be necessary in the next generation of robots if true flexible automation is to be achieved. One form of sensory feedback is tactile sensing. Tactile sensing, or taction, is the continuously variable sensing of forces and force gradients over an area. Problems such as hysteresis, limited range and sensitivity, and high cost have victimized many of past approaches to tactio...

Tactile sensing is an essential element of autonomous dexterous robot hand manipulation. It provides information about forces of interaction and surface properties at points of contact between the robot fingers and the objects. Recent advancements in robot tactile sensing led to development of many computational techniques that exploit this important sensory channel. This paper reviews current ...

Although tactile spatial acuity tests are used in both neuroscience research and clinical assessment, few automated devices exist for delivering controlled spatially structured stimuli to the skin. Consequently, investigators often apply tactile stimuli manually. Manual stimulus application is time consuming, requires great care and concentration on the part of the investigator, and leaves many...

This paper presents the design, modeling, and testing of a flexible tactile sensor and its applications. This sensor is made of polymer materials and can detect the 2D surface texture image and contact-force estimation. The sensing mechanism is based on the novel contact deflection effect of a membrane. We measure the deflection of the membrane with measuring the strain in the membrane with emb...

We present a novel tactile sensor, which is useful for dextrous grasping with a simple robot gripper. The novel part consists of an array of capacitive sensors, which couple to the object by means of little brushes of fibers. These sensor elements are very sensitive (with a threshold of about 5 mN) but robust enough not to be damaged during grasping. They yield two types of dynamical tactile in...