We describe a methodology for the characterization of tactile sensors. We address the questions of verification of manufacturer's claims about the output of a sensor, reliability of the output and robustness of the sensor over time. In our work with tactile sensors, it has become apparent that there is a need for a rigorous methodology of characterizing sensor quality. We implement this as a pr...

This paper proposes a decoupling method for a novel tactile sensor based on improved Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN). In the numerical experiments, the number of hidden layer nodes of the BPNN is optimized and k-fold-cross-validation (k-CV) method is also applied to construct the dataset. Furthermore, information of the tactile sensor array at different scales is used to construct the BP...

One of the major disadvantages of the minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is the lack of tactile feedback to the surgeon. In order to identify and avoid any damage to the grasped complex tissue by endoscopic graspers, it is important to measure the local softness of tissue during MIS. One way to display the measured softness to the surgeon is a graphical method. In this paper, a new tactile sensor...

Robotic manipulation in unstructured environments must handle a wide range of objects despite errors in visual perception. Tactile sensing is presumed to provide essential information in this context, but there has been little work examining the tactile sensor signals produced during realistic manipulation tasks. This paper presents tactile sensor data from grasping a generic object in hundreds...

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...

Object manipulation is one of the important tasks in robotics. Tactile sensor system is essential as a sensory device to support robot control system. This paper present a precision control scheme of multi-fingered humanoid robot arm based on tactile sensing information to perform object manipulation tasks. With the aim to enhance the ability to recognize and manipulate object in humanoid robot...

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE Most patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in Japan also have liver cirrhosis. Therefore, reliable information about liver function is essential before undertaking liver resection. Occasionally preoperative estimates and intraoperative findings are disparate. This study used rats with liver fibrosis and a new tactile sensor to determine whether quantification of liver hardne...